What you need to know
- After a month of boycotting, Niantic's task force reports to the Pokémon Go community.
- Niantic commits to a bimonthly Developer Diary.
- Report repeats news from the past week.
On Aug. 1, 2021, Niantic removed pandemic bonuses for Pokémon Go in New Zealand and the U.S., prompting boycotts, petitions, and a flood of criticism across social media. When this upset culminated into the "Pokémon No Day" on Aug. 5, Niantic responded to the community with a weak promise and a delay. It would form a task force that would meet with "community leaders" to discuss changes and report back to the community on Sept. 1.
While many were quick to criticize this response, Niantic surprised the community by reinstating pandemic bonuses one week ago. Further, the bonus which served as the focal point of the boycott, the extended radius on PokéStops and Gyms, would be a permanent addition to the game. Niantic also announced a change to bonuses, which will now be global and tied directly to the current Pokémon Go Season.
Through all of this, Niantic has continued promising to address the community on September 1 with the results of the task force. Well, September is here and Niantic's promised announcement is lacking. Although there were vague promises of changes, both in game and in how Niantic engages with the community, there really isn't much to this announcement, despite how Niantic has teased it.
Penned by Pokémon Go's executive producer, Steve Wang, the announcement confirmed Pokémon Go will be keeping the extended radius. Additionally, he admitted that the attempt to change bonuses on a country-by-country basis was a "rough learning experience". The only new information in this announcemnet was the acknowledgement that Niantic has not handled communication well and the promise of a Developer Diary that will be released every other month. Responses from the community thus far have been mixed, with many wondering why Niantic bothered waiting in the first place.
Are you satisfied with Niantic's response to the community? Would you like to see the company take more concrete steps towards listening and responding to player feedback? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to check out our best Pokémon Go accessories so you can be fully equipped on your Pokémon Journey!
