Game developer Niantic activated some bonuses in Pokémon GO due to the corona pandemic that made playing easier during times of lockdowns and restrictions. However, now a large part of those bonuses has been removed, including the convenience of PokéStop distance in some parts of the world. This has really upset the players.
What has Niantic changed? We players in the German-speaking region still have bonuses such as increased raid damage in remote raids, double effectiveness of incense, or more items from buddy Pokémon. However, in some parts of the world, the developers have changed the bonuses and instead activated adventure bonuses.
Players now have to get closer to PokéStops to interact with them. This point in particular is met with great misunderstanding. In the community, these changes are perceived as a “slap in the face”, which has been handed out entirely against the interests of the players.
New Pokémon bonuses active, some removed
These are the bonuses: As of August 1, some corona bonuses expired. We have addressed this and explained for you how the bonuses in Pokémon GO will continue. Niantic stated that in some parts of the world, there will now be adventure bonuses that reward spinning gym and PokéStop discs.
However, in some parts of the world, such as the USA or New Zealand, it is now necessary to approach PokéStops more closely to interact with them. Dataminers from PokeMiners report that the interaction distance with PokéStops has been reduced from 80 meters to 40 meters (via reddit.com). These changes do not yet affect players in Germany.
YouTuber threatens to boycott Pokémon GO
This is how players are reacting: The community is angry about these changes. Because the corona pandemic is not over yet. Not even in the parts of the world where the bonuses have been disabled. In social media, players reach out to the developers.
YouTuber Reversal has 379,000 subscribers on YouTube and is known for his videos and livestreams about Pokémon GO. He mentions that he would quit Pokémon GO if Niantic does not make any changes (via Twitter.com):
“The removal of the double distance is a slap in the face of the #PokemonGO community. I say that I will give up GO if changes are not made as quickly as possible. I refuse to report on a game that is not in the interest of its players.”
In response to Reversal’s tweet, “@siriuslyjenn_” explains that now 3 stops are no longer safely reachable. Now the coordinates of the stops are so poor that they have to go over a busy road or into the woods to reach the stops.
- “If Niantic is trying to annoy players, then they are successful. These changes are bad. We are still in the middle of a global pandemic. Even if we weren’t, these were simply quality-of-life changes that make no sense to remove” (GigavoltRyan via Twitter.com)
- “I used to spend a lot of money on it but then didn’t play Pokémon GO for a few years. The pandemic brought me back. The decision to reduce the interaction distance between PokéStops will likely lead me to uninstall the app again for a few years.” (MarkMalevolent via Twitter.com)
- “With the reduced stop/gym distance in Pokémon GO, the game is less fun for me. So little that I am losing interest in investing money. I’m not alone in this. Niantic, I hope you won’t miss the extra money #BoycottNiantic (PokeBrewMan via Twitter.com)
- “No reason to revert to the old [settings]. No one wanted that and no one likes that. […]” (Bensheesdie via reddit.com)
- “I won’t spend any more money on this game until they restore the distance. If they keep it [as it is now], I will probably slowly stop playing altogether” (Apanick_Attacka via reddit.com)
Players suspect that Niantic is now looking at how revenues and player numbers change due to the changes in the USA and New Zealand throughout August. “With that, they will then decide whether to activate the changes in other countries,” suspects reddit user aznknight613 (via reddit.com)
What do you think about Niantic’s changes? Would you also reduce your playtime or even stop playing Pokémon GO completely if the reduced (normal) stop distance is activated for you?
Let us know your opinion in the comments here on MeinMMO and exchange ideas with the community about these special bonuses.
