"2022 was quite something": Pokemon GO community discusses the past year

Niantic may be preparing Pokemon GO for a new year, but many players are still taking umbrage with how the developer handled the game in 2022. One fan decided to make a few of the biggest issues known through a Reddit post on the game's official subreddit.

In an edited post seen in-game to commemorate the arrival of 2023 in Niantic's mobile title, Redditor Uunikana lampooned the developers. They brought up many of the most contentious decisions made by Niantic over the course of 2022. These include reducing the duration of Community Day events, phasing out remote raid passes, and increasing Pokecoin pricing for in-game items.

The post echoed the sentiment that many Pokemon GO players shared, and they unloaded on Niantic in the comments as a result.

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Pokemon GO's Reddit community reacts to Uunikana's post, looks back on a difficult 2022

Putting Pokemon like Spiritomb and Keldeo behind a paywall upset more than a few fans (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The many changes that Niantic implemented in Pokemon GO in 2022 (for various reasons) haven't sat well with a portion of the fans. For what seems like the entire year, trainers vented their frustrations with the direction of the game, with many of them swearing off spending money or sharing data. Some even called off playing the game entirely.

In the post by Uunikana, many of the same complaints were revisited by a portion of the fan base.

From limiting the time trainers could participate in Community Day events to placing new Pokemon options behind tickets that cost real-world money, players bemoaned the overall state of the game.

The dip in profits for Niantic during Winter 2022 was also pointed out. However, many players remarked that this was no excuse for the "greedy" behavior of the developers dating back to spring of the same year.

Pokemon GO players continued to joke in the thread, pointing to the fact that while so many things went wrong for them, they still received some "positive" features.

Trainers sarcastically remarked that they received more stickers to buy and increased storage space for the game's postcard feature. These are features that clearly weren't asked for by most players, considering the game's many ongoing issues.

Unfortunately, the concerns levied by the fanbase on the subreddit appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Despite a year's worth of memes, critiques, and outright distaste with Pokemon GO, Niantic appears to be pushing forward with its own gameplay and content plans.

It's possible that despite the protestations that players have leveled towards the developer, enough fans may be willing to continue spending money to keep the game afloat for the foreseeable future.

There is undoubtedly a contingent of Pokemon GO players still hoping for the game to improve in 2023. However, if the Reddit post by Uunikana is any indication, that group of players may be dwindling away rather quickly.

Only time will tell what's in store for the mobile title and the contingent of unpleased fans. Hopefully, Niantic will hear their concerns and address them willingly.