Due to the change in the PokéStop interaction radius in Pokémon GO, trainers from around the world came together. They addressed an open letter to Niantic. Now the developers have responded. However, the reactions from the trainers show disappointment.
What happened? In recent days, the developers of Pokémon GO have been under criticism.
- On August 1st, some corona bonuses expired, which Pokémon GO activated during the pandemic. Thus, trainers in the USA and New Zealand now have to come within 40 meters of PokéStops to interact with them. With the bonus, the radius was doubled to 80 meters.
- On August 2nd, many trainers took to social media to declare that the removal of the corona bonuses is a slap in the face for players.
- On August 5th, trainers from around the world shared an open letter to Niantic. Among them were the biggest YouTubers focusing on Pokémon GO and important content creators. In the letter, trainers demanded that the radius be increased back to 80 meters and highlighted the benefits this brings in the game. Especially, what disadvantages the 40-meter radius brings. With the hashtag #HearUsNiantic, trainers wanted to be heard.
- On August 5th, the Niantic team shared their response to the open letter, which we present to you here.
In general, Niantic indicates that they have heard the community and their demands. Niantic also shows how they plan to respond. However, they are not simply increasing the PokéStop radius.
Why Niantic changed the radius and what happens next
This is what Niantic says: On the Nianticlabs blog, there is a lengthy statement regarding the open letter (via Nianticlabs.com). We embed the translated version here in the article.
To our Pokémon GO community:
We thank you for your letter and all your feedback. We hear you. We are very impressed by your reaction. Not every game has such a passionate, global player base that we are fortunate to have.
Like everyone else in the world, our team has also worked very hard to adapt to the global health environment. The recent changes to the exploration bonus that we’ve made in the USA and New Zealand aim to restore some of the foundational elements that players enjoyed before 2020 and to reward players for movement and exploration again. Niantic is committed to encouraging people to explore together, move, and play safely.
The health and well-being of players is our top priority. That’s why we’ve introduced the new exploration bonuses in selected regions where it is considered safe to be outdoors. Research shows that outdoor walks are safe and offer multiple health benefits. Additionally, promoting outdoor exploration aligns with Niantic’s mission. Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor health and safety guidelines regarding outdoor activities and make adjustments as necessary.
We have heard your feedback regarding a specific change – the interaction distance between PokéStops and Gyms. We have reverted the interaction distance in the USA and New Zealand from 80 meters to 40 meters because we want people to connect with real places in the real world and visit places worth exploring.
However, we have heard your suggestions loud and clear and are taking the following actions to address the concerns you have expressed: We are assembling an internal, cross-functional team to develop proposals on how we can maintain our mission of inspiring people to explore the world together while also addressing the specific concerns raised regarding interaction distance. We will announce the results of this task force by the next seasonal change (September 1). As part of this process, we will also reach out to community representatives in the coming days to join us in this dialogue.
Our goal is to create fun and engaging experiences that remain true to our mission, and we thank you for challenging us with your thoughtful and constructive feedback.
The Niantic Team
Source: Nianticlabs.com
“So they don’t want to change the distance”
This is how players react: On reddit, Niantic’s response has sparked numerous comments (via reddit.com). However, the mood there is rather gloomy.
A player quotes the penultimate paragraph of the letter, which discusses the internal team, and writes “So no. They don’t want to revert the changes to the interaction distance.”
User dave5104 remarks (via reddit.com): “I’m pessimistic about the ‘results’ they will come back with. A simple answer to all of this would have been: ‘We will revert the distance change while we discuss internally!’ But they won’t even throw us that bone. It sounds like they’ve already made up their minds and don’t want to rip the band-aid off a second time.”
Others question what the justification for the 40-meter distance is supposed to mean. AgentNeko writes (via reddit.com): “80 meters interaction distance makes it impossible for us to connect with real places in the real world and visit places worth exploring?”
Player mybham suggests as a solution that players should need to approach a stop within 20 meters the very first time they visit it. After that, the interaction distance should be increased to 80 meters (via reddit.com).
What do you think about Niantic’s response? Do you like how they are now responding to the players, and is this an answer you had hoped for from the open letter? Or do you find the 80-meter interaction distance unnecessary and would be satisfied if it were reduced back to 40 meters?
Let us know your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other players.
