Summary
A recent interview with the director ofPokemon GOhas revealed that Niantic isn’t going to lighten up on its remote raid restrictions. This news will likely be disappointing for a significant portion of thePokemon GOcommunity, which has been up in arms about the change since it went into effect about a year ago.
Pokemon GOremote raidswere added to the game back in 2020, giving players a way to participate in the game’s community-focused content without having to be around other people. It became a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as heading outside and being around others was dangerous, if not impossible, during periods of lockdown. Back in 2023, however, the community was in uproar when Niantic made remote raid passes more expensive and limited users to participating in five per day. Some fans have been consistent in demanding it to change back or otherwise improve for the past year, but it looks like they’re out of luck based on a recent interview.
Speaking withDotEsports,Pokemon GOdirector Michael Steranka spoke about the remote raid change and the reaction from the community. According to Steranka, thelimitation onPokemon GOremote raidshas had the intended effect that the developer wanted to see. Namely, the company wanted fans to go back outside, start walking, and meet up with community members in real life. Steranka says that Niantic has “…seen more in-person communities coming back together again… local communities are flourishing in a way that we haven’t seen since pre-pandemic.”
He emphasized that Niantic’s goal withPokemon GOhas been, since the beginning, to encourage users to exercise and explore. Steranka himself was impacted by the change to remote raids, as he said that he used to participate in them frequently, but that he’s since decided that it was the right decision. With the company believing that the changes have succeeded in achieving what it wanted, fans shouldn’t hold their breath for major alterations tothe way remote raids work inPokemon GO.
The Call for Remote Raid Pass Changes
Some fans may be more understanding of the changes after this particular interview, but there are likely many who won’t be happy. Some players were upset about the remote raid pass changes purely because of the change in price, which wasn’t touched on. Others have found the app to be less fun to play because they live in rural areaswhere standardPokemon GOraids are rareif not completely unavailable. However, it seems likely that unless Niantic’s hand is forced by outside factors again, like another lockdown, that nothing will change in this regard for the foreseeable future.
WHERE TO PLAY
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