The new tracker of Pokémon GO has disappointed most players. Players in the city and in the countryside now have different trackers available, and none has both. Fans have come up with several theories as to why this is the case.
Update: It seems like our requests have been heard: Pokémon GO: Again changes to the tracker – “Nearby” and “Sighted”
Since the new tracker has been added to Pokémon GO, it has been controversial and heavily criticized. Especially the “Nearby” – feature is troubling trainers. The tracker gives a listing of 9 Pokémon that are near PokéStops. In plain text, this means that the tracker only works in conjunction with PokéStops. Players are especially angry that they cannot use the “Sighted” – feature as soon as they are near a PokéStop.
This feature is particularly useful when one is further away from PokéStops and goes hunting outside of cities. “Sighted” works as soon as one is 200 meters away from the nearest PokéStop. With the “Nearby” – feature, trainers might see the Zubat at the nearby PokéStop. They do not see the Charizard that is right next to them and run past it directly to the PokéStop. The downside of “Sighted”: One has to wander around for a long time since the exact location of the Pokémon is not displayed.
Therefore, trainers would prefer to have both trackers available at all times, regardless of the distance to the next PokéStop.
Pokemon GO: Are advertising and marketing behind the new tracker?
The new tracker was tested for more than four months in San Francisco. It is hard to imagine that Niantic never considered during this time that players outside and inside San Francisco play different games. Because players in the countryside have almost nothing from the new tracker, as there are virtually no PokéStops outside of cities. Why can’t trainers always have both trackers?
There is a theory that marketing is the reason for the new “Nearby” – feature. By attracting trainers to certain PokéStops, certain businesses can also benefit that sponsor these stops. Niantic’s game Ingress also had sponsored areas. Players wander from PokéStop to PokéStop through the “Nearby” – tracker, which can be an art installation or a business that has a sponsorship deal with Niantic. Pokémon appearing between these stops are essentially invisible.
This business model has been tested by Niantic in various markets, and McDonald’s was one of the first companies to invest in PokéStops. Without this system, PokéStops are just PokéStops, and now specific Pokémon could be tied to the sponsored PokéStops. The marketing possibilities would be endless.
From catching Pokémon to throwing away money
YouTuber Nick recently uploaded a video on his Pokemon GO – channel “TrainerTips” where he drives to a local cinema to catch a Charizard. After he and his companion caught the Charizard, they stayed a bit longer and fed the nearby arcade machines with money. They played with a claw machine that contained Pokémon merchandise. You can observe the whole thing starting around minute 7:30. Nick himself points out the “Sponsorship theory” at that moment.
Old tracker brought negative headlines
However, this does not explain the exclusivity of the “Sighted” – feature for players in the flat countryside. If players cannot track a trail to find Pokémon, it is at least still helpful to know which ones are in the vicinity. With the first version, which showed footprints, players kept their eyes glued to their phones. There were news of trainers simply walking into traffic because they could not lift their heads. This brought negative headlines.
Nick claims that the new “Sighted” – feature can prevent this. Niantic did not like the idea of trainers staring at their screens while hunting for Pokémon and putting themselves in danger. As long as “Sighted” is thus useless for actually tracking Pokémon, players also do not wander around in traffic or other potential dangers.
These are all just theories. Since the release, the tracker has been a problem, and players simply do not understand why Niantic has not yet found a satisfactory solution. There must be some reasons beyond incompetence on Niantic’s part. Monetization and safety could have an impact.
What do you think, why is Niantic having such a hard time developing a tracker that satisfies all trainers? Fans are so desperate, that they are even developing their own tracker.
