The end of physical distancing changes annoys some fans

Niantic augmented reality game developer Pokemon GoSome of the bonuses that were put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic have started to be withdrawn. 1^{He is} In August, players from the US and New Zealand noticed the reduced distance required to interact, using their smartphone, with in-game points of interest, ‘PokéStops’ and ‘arenas’. in a March 2020, in order to play this game, which requires going out and meeting other people, in accordance with the physical distancing measures associated with the epidemic, The developers have made sure that POIs can be accessed from remote places, for example to make it easier to play from home.

Remove some changes that occurred in 2020 It was announced in June. This really is Annoyed some fansBut its implementation on Sunday sparked a wave of outrage online.

” I am depressed “And User writes thetransportedman In the department Pokemon Go From the Reddit forum. This sentiment permeates many of the comments that have been posted there since then. Some players regret not being able to play from home anymore, RustyFencer wrote: “I can run four [Poké]Stop my apartment, now I can’t get to one. I have to be with them. “ Internet users also regret that the game requires them to devote more time to it. Player F_ar_el_Chat04 regrets “No time to stop at every location or go through every PokéStop” During his travels he said he was impressed by the company’s choice not to extend the temporary bonus.

Internet users who are interested in augmented reality games only because it encourages them to come out often respond to this argument that returning to normal distances makes the game less accessible. « Pokemon Go Motivated me to go out for five yearsAnd Urutoraman1966 responds. Reducing the distance is not important to me. “

However, other perturbed players are highlighting the benefits of physical distance measures for people with limited mobility. They also point to the new risks associated with the pandemic due to the delta variant of SARS-Cov-2.

consequences : A petition was launched in June, when the game’s developments were announced, gathering more than 141,000 signatures. On August 2, some influencers appeared in particular They said they would boycott the game And He feels the most loyal gamer community has never heard of Niantic.

Niantic wants to get back to basics

In a press release sent to Globalism Tuesday, August 3, Niantic confirms that it complete to Follow health and safety recommendations related to outdoor activities ». The abolition of bonuses has not yet been implemented in France. Players in the United States and New Zealand are encouraged to pay attention « [l’introduction] New exploration rewards.

Getting players out as far as possible is seen as one of the foundations of Pokemon Go Written by John Hanke, CEO and Founder of Niantic. « Encouraging people to do an activity and gather outdoors is our primary mission, and it’s what sets us apart He said in detail during an interview with the Globalism in July. So we must make changes so that the experience stays true to this mission that we are proud of and that motivates us. ” The latter also indicated that if some temporary rewards were intended to disappear, other rewards would be retained.

Released in 2016, this free game with in-app purchases has been successful in keeping players going by expanding its core concept – catching Pokémon in an app based on our real-world travels. For example, the social dimension of the game has been enriched and interactions with Pokemon have become more diverse.

According to AppAnnie, an American company that specializes in audience measurement for mobile applications, Pokemon Go It has 35 million monthly active users. The game offers in more than 150 countries, Niantic reported on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of Pokemon Go That 465 billion Pokémon have been captured and players have traveled more than 49 billion kilometers using the app. However, it is impossible to know how many virtual creatures have been caught by players sitting on their couch due to the pandemic.