In Pokémon GO there have been ongoing changes in recent months that have not exactly thrilled the trainers. We at MeinMMO wanted to know from you if you are still playing. Here we show you the results.
What changes are we talking about? In recent months, Niantic has repeatedly made changes to the game and systematically removed or complicated the home bonuses introduced during the Corona pandemic.
The developers of Pokémon GO have, among other things, reduced the effectiveness of incense when stationary, cut the community days from 6 to 3 event hours, and made significant changes to the boxes in the shop. In early April, the popular remote raids were limited and the associated passes made more expensive.
This led to a large wave of protests among the trainers, which in turn sparked a petition with a considerable number of signatures. Therefore, we wanted to know if the changes have affected your playing behavior and if you are still playing at all. Below, we show you the results.
This is the result of the survey
Here’s how you voted: After Niantic made changes to the remote raids and has not spoken out about the players’ protests so far, one can often find trainers on social media announcing their intention to boycott the game. For this reason, we wanted to know how our MeinMMO readers feel about this issue.
In our survey from April 17, 2023, we asked if you are still playing after numerous changes. So far (as of April 21, 2023, 7:20 PM), a total of 1,964 people have participated, and the votes are as follows:
- 42 % (819 votes) for “Yes, but I play less in general”
- 36 % (702 votes) for “Yes, but I play fewer raids”
- 12 % (239 votes) for “Yes, I play as before”
- 10 % (204 votes) for “No, I don’t play anymore”
What does the result show? A total of 78 %, more than 3/4, indicated that they have now reduced their participation in raids or even play less in general. Another 10 % have even completely given up the game. Only 12 % of the trainers remain loyal to Pokémon GO.
What are the reasons for this result?
Reasons trainers are playing less: In the comments under our post on MeinMMO and in our Facebook group dedicated to Pokémon GO, some players have revealed to us the reasons for their decisions. It becomes clear that some trainers have lost motivation and no longer find the game enjoyable.
But the lack of an active local community and the difficulty of playing, especially in rural areas, is also a major topic. The price increase of the passes plays a decisive role for the trainers. In the comments, you can read the following (via MeinMMO & Facebook):
- Andrea W.: “Raids are completely off the table. Only two others play in my village, there’s nothing to win. Remote raids are unaffordable. I’m considering quitting.”
- Tiaguai: “I currently only check in for the free raid pass and maybe for daily incense, although even there the spawn of Galar birds isn’t really happening and thus the motivation isn’t either. Where I used to invest more time, is at events, with the last big one being the worldwide tour, which was disappointing due to the low shiny chance.”
- Nicole A.: “I play much less, not at all remote raids. It’s a shame because I live in a village and there are hardly any players. I am a first-hour player and must say that it’s now very boring without raids.”
- Conny H.: “It’s definitely less fun without raids. I don’t see why I should spend so much money on passes. Adventure sync doesn’t work correctly either. I don’t play PVP. So what’s left that’s fun for me in the game?”
- Maximilian H.: “Only catching normally now. Hatching and raiding are boycotted 99 % of the time.”
Other trainers say “The game hasn’t changed”
However, not all trainers believe that the game has turned negative due to the changes. For them, these adjustments have reportedly hardly influenced their gameplay. You can also find the following comments on MeinMMO and in our Facebook group:
- erzi222: “I went out before these changes and also after the ‘changes’. The game hasn’t changed, physical movement is still fun!”
- Glubenza: “No major changes. Since hardly anything interesting is coming, spending has decreased. The community is slowly coming back […]. The prices don’t really bother anyone, free players are not affected by this, and the rest earns enough money. […] It’s more the boredom that is problematic.”
- Sandra K.: “Of course, it’s a lot more fun now because it’s just not so easy anymore.”
- Thilo K.: “I play just like before. I didn’t do remote raids that often, so I don’t care.”
Compromise idea for both sides: However, even trainers who are less affected by the changes as they are not reliant on remote raids can understand the frustration of other players. Ignatz P., a user from our Facebook group, writes:
As I hardly used remote raid passes anyway, the changes don’t bother me. But I also live in a big city and have no problem doing raids thanks to various groups. However, I feel sorry for the players who do not have these opportunities. Niantic is thus excluding players from the gameplay experience without offering an alternative. Personally, no one is taking anything away from me if they play with a remote raid pass. Maybe there should be some bonuses offered to local players (items, increased chances, etc.) to lure people out again without excluding others.
Ignatz P. via Facebook
This is also the view of many other trainers and content creators, which is why they have already addressed this in an open letter to Niantic. It is suggested that the developers should reward trainers who play raids locally instead with guaranteed XL special candies, an increased chance of a lucky friend, or more premium items.
Whether Niantic will take up this suggestion in the interest of the majority of the players remains to be seen. If there are any new updates on this, you will find them with us on MeinMMO.
What is your opinion on this topic? Are you also actively affected by the numerous changes? Or do you live in an area where participating in local raids is not a problem at all? Feel free to let us know in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
By the way: Pokémon GO now has a new raid feature that trainers have been waiting for years. We show you what it is.
