With the changes to remote raids, Pokémon GO upset many players. Now, Director Michael Steranka has spoken up in a comprehensive interview about it.
What is the problem with remote raids? For weeks, the topic of remote raids has been discussed in Pokémon GO. Some changes have been made that have upset parts of the community.
- For instance, the remote raid passes themselves became more expensive
- A limit of 5 remote raids per day was introduced
Additionally, features like Crypto Raids have now also been introduced, targeting players who must be active on-site. These difficult raids cannot be completed with remote raid passes, just like the top raids.
Niantic’s path is clear: players are to be encouraged to play Pokémon GO more in local communities, outdoors, on-site, rather than from home. However, some players disagree with this – partly because local communities can often be hard to find, especially in rural areas.
In an extensive interview with YouTuber ZoëTwoDots, Pokémon GO Director Michael Steranka spoke on various topics surrounding the game, including why decisions regarding remote raids were made as they were.
We are embedding the nearly one-and-a-half-hour complete interview here. Below, we summarize the key points regarding remote raids.
Michael Steranka comments on limits and price increases
In the interview with Michael Steranka, ZoëTwoDots asked various questions about the criticism from the Pokémon GO community. One of them is the price increase and the limit on remote raids.
Why did Pokémon GO implement a limit? Steranka explains that remote raids have partly introduced a really unhealthy playing behavior
, the Director says: Some of our most engaged players could simply spam dozens, sometimes hundreds of legendary raids from home. We had to put a limit in place because that’s not really what we envisioned for the game.
Why did Pokémon GO increase the price? Steranka explains that the price was adjusted to better reflect its value for the players: We can probably debate what the true value of a remote raid pass is. Overall, you gain access to legendary Pokémon, tons of XP, tons of stardust, and more rare candies than you know what to do with
, summarizes Steranka.
With the remote raid pass, you would receive these benefits without much effort. However, that wasn’t the original intention: The way we designed every other premium item in the game means you can’t just be a whale [players who invest a lot] in Pokémon GO and throw money at it to get the things you want
, says Steranka and gives examples.
If you want to buy premium battle passes, you need to organize a group of players and go out to raid. With incubators, you actually have to go out and hatch eggs. Everything we do is not designed simply for you to pay and get something, but that’s what remote raid passes ultimately became. Therefore, we felt the need to adjust the price to the value that players receive.
Michael Steranka in an interview with ZoëTwoDots
He also points out that this adjustment now allows remote raid passes to be offered in bundles, where they become cheaper. This may not have been communicated well during the initial announcement: Similar to all other premium items, we also have the option to offer stronger discounts through bundles and similar things. I think players can expect that in the future: bundles that include remote raid passes that can be acquired at great discounts compared to the individual item.
Trainers often criticize that on-site raids should simply be improved rather than nerfing remote raids. Steranka says: We have tried such bonuses on raid days, but at the end of the day, for most players, the goal is catching the legendary Pokémon. The difference is not there for many players. You have people on the edge who are particularly interested in extra rare candies, but the majority is not at that point.
Such incentives simply have not convinced players to refrain from remote raiding and go outside.
Why did Niantic decide to implement this this way?
Why should players go outside at all? Exploring is ultimately what makes Pokémon GO unique compared to other games:
In the universe of Pokémon games, GO’s pillar is rooted in going out and discovering. There are tons of other Pokémon games, anime, movies that can be enjoyed at home. The market is better served with games designed to be enjoyed while sitting on the couch, like those on the Switch or mobile. We don’t want to compete with those.
Michael Steranka in an interview with ZoëTwoDots
Unfortunately, with a game like Pokémon GO, it is necessary to engage in a sort of trade
where one side is served while the other is nerfed
: We have no way to motivate people to go out and play when you can enjoy the entire experience from home
says Steranka.
He acknowledges, however, that this can be difficult for players who do not have good opportunities to play outdoors or with others, depending on their location or personal situation.
Steranka also explains that many measures have already been introduced to provide support: We have introduced daily spawns, increased the overall number of spawns – no matter where you are – over the years, we have introduced Team GO Rocket balloons, removed the walking distance for GBL, and introduced daily adventure incense. There are a wide variety of ways to play Pokémon GO, no matter where you are. However, you cannot simply make everything available in the game at home, as human nature dictates that you will then simply stay home. It’s much easier and more comfortable.
How is Niantic dealing with the problem? Steranka emphasizes that they consider all locations equally important and want to provide players with the tools to enhance their local communities.
They did not want rural areas to feel much more deserted than city centers, explains Steranka. At the same time, Niantic recognizes that there is legitimate criticism of some of the gaps that have arisen due to the changes to remote raid passes.
Therefore, they are considering further solutions to help revive local communities. The Campfire app is also part of this: When we finally have Campfire available for everyone, we want to ensure there are meaningful tools to do exactly that. I can’t really say when that will happen, but it is a top priority for us because we know local communities worldwide need that extra help to get the motors running again.
Why didn’t Niantic introduce new features first?
In the interview, ZoëTwoDots asks why Niantic implemented the remote raid changes first instead of further features that would support on-site play or local communities.
Steranka responds: To be completely honest, the discussion about the remote raid pass is something we’ve been having internally at Niantic for a year and a half. It’s not something we woke up one morning and said: ‘Hey, we need to make this change and we’ll do it right now.’
They did not take the decision lightly, but: When we looked at the roadmap with the exciting things we had planned for the rest of the year, there were often two trains of thought on how we should properly approach things
, says Steranka.
One is to rip off the band-aid, clearing all the bad things out of the way, so that we can make way for new exciting cool things that people can get a clear impression of, and the other is to maybe have a bit of sugar to make the medicine go down better
In the end, they opted for one of the two options:
I don’t think there’s a right answer to it, and ultimately we knew this would be such a painful change that we decided to rip off the band-aid. I know that means we have to work even harder to regain the trust and love for Pokémon GO that we lost from many players with this change, but I hope people will stick around to see many of the cool things we’re working on. Because I’m really looking forward to it, and I think Pokémon GO will be a very different game at the end of this year compared to the beginning of this year, in a good way.
Additionally, the Director emphasizes that he looks forward with optimism: I am hopeful. This is definitely one of the most exciting years in a long time regarding feature development for Pokémon GO. But I know we need to regain a lot of trust and love from the community, and we will do our best to do that. We are not a perfect company, but we always strive to bring joy to players in a way that no other game can.
What do you think of these statements? Let us know in the comments!
Next, Pokémon GO definitely has a new season coming up, which already has some information available.
