![]() I REFUSE to cover a game that doesn’t have it’s player base in its best interest. I’ll realistic and say I that I’ll quit GO if changes aren’t being made ASAP. The removal of double distance is nothing short of a slap in the face towards the #PokemonGO Community. Why roll back features that made the game more accessible while also netting the company more money? But as the delta variant spreads in the U.S., players find these changes to be frustrating and misguided. One new incentive gives users 10x XP for visiting a new PokéStop for the first time (or, in real-world terms, visiting a new place). “These changes will be introduced slowly and carefully to make it more exciting to explore the world around you.” “As we return to the outside world again, these changes are aimed at restoring the focus of Pokémon GO on movement and exploration in the real world,” the company wrote in a blog post. Now, the increased landmark radius has been removed “ as a test” in the U.S. These pandemic incentives were always framed as temporary bonuses, but players embraced the changes - in 2020, Pokémon GO had its highest-earning year yet. ![]() And for businesses that happened to be located in a prime location for raid battles, which require players to gather in person within a Gym’s radius to defeat rare monsters, this meant that Pokémon players could maintain a respectful distance from storefronts while playing the game (later in the pandemic, it became possible to join raid battles remotely - this feature will remain in the game, probably because it proved profitable). Plus, for a game that still gets a bad rep for causing traffic accidents, the increased radius helped pedestrian players access landmarks without brazenly jaywalking across the street (to be fair, it’s on users to make smart decisions while gaming in augmented reality - but, Niantic has responsibility here too). This made it easier for users to play from home or play outside while social distancing - but it also made the game much more accessible. So, you could now be farther away from a landmark but still reap its rewards. When much of the world entered lockdown March 2020, Pokémon Go doubled the size of the radius that players can be within to interact with a PokéStop or Gym, widening the radius from 40 meters to 80 meters. How Niantic evolved Pokémon GO for the year no one could go anywhere
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