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Pokemon Go Changes Sparks Major Backlash

Changes to Pokemon Go made at the start of the pandemic are being rolled back. Players aren't happy.
by Luke Luby on June 24, 2021   

Pokémon Go was one of the few video games to be badly affected by the global lockdown; movement restrictions meant that players couldn't access the physical areas they needed to so they could enjoy the game. To overcome this, developer Niantic implemented multiple changes. These primarily focused on increasing the distances from gyms and other areas that players could visit while still socially distancing.

The changes were well received, especially considering that gamers could still play the augmented reality game almost restriction-free. These changes are now being rolled back, which has prompted backlash among the game's community. While this initially started on social media after Niantic announced the rollback, it's since blossomed into online petitions. One such petition, launched by Gabirele Russo, has garnered a lot of attention.

In the petition, which is still online, gamers with disabilities were highlighted as the main beneficiaries of the original changes. Essentially, these players were physically unable to access some locations before. With the increased distances, they could now access certain spawn points and gyms. As the petition highlights, they were now able to enjoy areas that they were previously barred from.

People with physical disabilities were able to interact with PokéStops and Gyms that they were unable to before. The increase in the spawn rate of Incense also made it ten times better. Now people who had played more because of the special bonuses will no longer be able to play/won’t be as inclined to play. Less players = less money for Niantic, meaning that it would be a morally and financially bad decision to take away these bonuses.

Gabirele Russo's petition is one of three calling on Niantic to stop the Pokémon Go rollback. Collectively, they're closing in on 100,000 signatures. There are also multiple Reddit threads and countless tweets and Facebook posts begging the developer not to implement the rollback. As of yet, it hasn't commented on the matter.

Whether or not the Pokémon Go changes will still end up being rolled back remains to be seen.

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