Pokémon GO Changes What Niantic Is Doing To Address Player Concerns

Pokémon GO Changes: What Niantic Is Doing To Address Player Concerns

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Pokémon GO developer Niantic has listened for player feedback, and is re-increasing the interaction distances and promising more transparency.

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Pokémon GO Changes What Niantic Is Doing To Address Player Concerns

Pokémon GO was a widespread sensation when it first came out in 2016, and has remained popular, with the most recent Pokémon GO Fest earning millions despite the fact that developer Niantic hasn’t always had the best track record of addressing player concerns. The alternate reality game faced its largest roadblock last year amidst the widespread lockdowns stemming from the ongoing pandemic. Changes were made to the structure of the game in order to accommodate the recommendations of social distancing, but were later reverted, leading to fan outcry. Niantic has now walked back on this issue, reverting the most recent change and officially adopting the updates brought to the game by the pandemic.

As an ARG game centered around finding and catching Pokémon, Pokémon GO requires players to get of the house and walk around their neighborhood or city. In addition to Pokémon, PokéStops and Gyms can be found and interacted with. When the pandemic changes were made to Pokémon GO, the minimum interaction distance for PokéStops and Gyms was increased from 40 to 80 meters. This allowed players to keep a safe distance from others while they played, and was a welcome change for many in the Pokémon GO community.

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When COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in the United States earlier this year, Niantic reverted this change, effectively restoring the original version of Pokémon GO and its PokéStop functionality. Many felt the larger interaction distance not only made the game easier, but more accessible and safe to play. After a significant amount of backlash, the Pokémon GO interaction distance was reverted to the larger radius of 80 meters.

Niantic Promises Better Pokémon GO Transparency

The reversion of the interaction distance was also accompanied by a Pokémon GO update in which Niantic pledges to communicate better with its community of players. In the statement, executive producer Steve Wang speaks on behalf of the Pokémon GO development team in an effort to assuage the community’s concerns over miscommunication in regards to changes in the game. Wang reiterates that the team tries “to nudge Trainers to get outside and discover new places walk an extra kilometer or two, and meet other” through PokéStops and Gyms, but acknowledges that “the increased 80 meter interaction distance became a welcome benefit for many players.” The decision to reinstate the larger interact distance seems to have come about after a series of roundtable discussions with more than 30 Pokémon GO community leaders around the world.

This incident regarding PokéStops and Gyms (and the Pokémon GO player boycott) has also lead to a revelation at Niantic that the company “should be communicating and engaging more with Trainers.” According to Wang, this engagement will manifest in a few ways: regular developer diaries about the state of Pokémon GO’s priorities, more regular conversations with the community (ala the round table discussions), and a more diligent upkeep of Pokémon GO’s Known Issues page. The promise of increased communication is a welcome one, and the reinstatement of the interaction distances even more so, signaling a positive step for Pokémon GO moving forward.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/pokemon-go-changes-what-niantic-is-doing-to-address-player-concerns/

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