In June, it was announced that Pokemon Go would soon be rolling back its pandemic updates, which made the game easier to play from the comfort of your own home when we couldn’t go outside. This is the antithesis of the game in many ways – it’s not called Pokemon Stay. But needs must. There’s a deadly pandemic going on, one that has claimed the lives of four million people around the globe. That’s substantially more important than Funny Hat Pikachu, and it’s to the game’s credit that it was able to adjust so quickly, and fairly seamlessly too. However, developer Niantic has now decided to revert these changes, mostly going back to the pre-pandemic gameplay, even though they have objectively improved the overall experience and, much more importantly, the pandemic is not over. Frankly, this is a terrible idea.
Regular readers of TheGamer might find this sentiment familiar. Back in June, I wrote on this very issue, and called it a terrible idea. That’s why, if you click the words ‘terrible idea’ above, you’ll find around 1,000 words of my complaints. Why write the exact same thing again, six weeks later? Boredom? A complete lack of creativity and ideas? I’m trapped in a Memento-style nightmare where my memories keep erasing themselves as my life is doomed to repeat itself unknowingly? Well, in order; maybe, hey, and obviously not.
Related: Do We Really Need Another Eevee Community Day?
In fact, the reason why I’m returning to this topic is because a petition imploring Niantic to reconsider has now reached 125,000 signatures. Petitions themselves are largely ineffective, but they’re part of a cycle. It’s easier to ignore the petition if everyone else does; but covering it as news, as we did this weekend when it reached 125,000, or analysing it, as I’m attempting to do now, applies more pressure. Of course, nobody can write about a petition reaching a significant number of signatures if nobody makes or signs one; it all takes a concerted effort.
I also have less problems throwing my weight behind a petition. When the rollback of these updates was announced, the response was more troubling – and sadly, more predictable. Niantic’s community manager – a person with zero decision making influence over these changes – was harassed, and eventually hounded off Twitter because of the hate coming her way. In a zero sum world, the players are correct; getting rid of the updates is bad. But it’s impossible to support them when this is how they express their discontent. I wrote as much at the time. Now, with the players using more legitimate and positive channels for their concerns, it’s easier to apply the pressure – but what will come of it all?
Here’s a quick recap. Currently, you have more leeway on spin distance – this means you can spin a stop or a gym from further away than you previously could. This is going away, making it impossible for most people to spin even a single stop from home. I can reach a stop and a gym with the current distance; I’ll lose both. Incense, used to lure wild Pokemon, also had increased effectiveness. While its time limit boost (from 30 minutes to 60) will remain post-pandemic, the extra effectiveness will disappear, meaning you can no longer realistically benefit from it while playing at home.
Niantic will argue it’s merely exchanging these bonuses. We’re keeping the remote raid passes, while the raid passes available each day from gym spins have an (unspecified) chance to double up. The trade off for the incense meanwhile is that it’s more effective than ever if you use this while walking. But there are two huge faults in this plan. The first one, very obviously, is that the pandemic isn’t over. The second is that the game has changed, and Niantic doesn’t appear to have noticed.
Pokemon Go might be the best game of the century, when you consider how well it brought everyone on the planet together for the same quest. But even though the game has added multiple features and evolved since then, it no longer has the same spirit. It’s why Community Days don’t hit the way they used to. Nobody runs three blocks to catch a Squirtle anymore – so why keep forcing us to go outside when the game is no longer built for it? Especially when this is due to come into effect on September 1 – just as it’s starting to get too chilly to aimlessly wander outside constantly.
I don’t think there’s much use in pointing to the pandemic. It’s a bit like Scarlett Johansson and Disney’s lawyers trying to guilt each other over COVID while simultaneously trying to profit off the poorer people wilfully exposed to it. Niantic knows there’s a pandemic going on. It is choosing to ignore it for… well, I have no idea. There’s no major financial benefit to forcing people outside – potentially incubators, I guess? But remote raid passes are surely the biggest earner, and raids have been healthier than ever – in fact, if anything there has been too many of them. It’s not just the pandemic in play here. Having these indoor adaptations to the gameplay formula makes it far more accessible to players who, pandemic or not, cannot realistically participate in a game that requires them to constantly explore outside to experience it all. Gaming is becoming far more conscious of accessibility, but this is a big step backwards.
It also lowers the risk of trespassing, and allows you to keep a safe distance from people – both in the social distancing sense and the ‘I don’t want to approach strangers alone at night’ sense. It allows people to play the game in a way they were previously unable to, but without gaining any advantage the devs might call an exploit. Taking it away seems foolish and unnecessary – so foolish and unnecessary in fact, that it probably won’t happen.
I suspect, with infection rates climbing and a united front from the Pokemon Go player base, that Niantic will be forced into a climbdown. The only issue is in the way this will be painted; likely as Niantic stepping up to the plate and doing what’s best for the players – but it will only come after the developer was planning on going full steam ahead with what was worst (and what was actively dangerous) for the players. Niantic has been irresponsible, whether it changes its mind or not. The vitriolic initial reaction was uncalled for and deservedly condemned, but players have since applied consistent and legitimate pressure. Niantic needs to listen, and when it does, it doesn’t need to be celebrated.
Next: What's Going On With Snorlax's Teeth In New Pokemon Snap?
