Pokemon GO Community Note disputes Niantic's avatar update claim

Pokemon GO's official X account recently posted about the latest avatar update, specifically the option to customize the eye color. Niantic stated:

"With the all-new avatar update, Trainers can now customize their eye color."

The tweet soon gathered a Community Note disputing Niantic's claim. The April 2024 avatar update has seen significant pushback from the community and it seems unlikely to disperse anytime soon.

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Why does Pokemon GO Community Note dispute Niantic's recent eye color customization claim in April 2024 avatar update?

Community Note Screenshot (Image via X / Niantic)

Niantic's X post stated that trainers can "now customize their eye color" with the "all-new avatar update" and provided previews of options available in-game. This tweet quickly received a Community Note (a feature where X users can add context to posts that could be misinformed or misleading) stating that this feature already existed in-game long before.

The Community Note stated:

"You were always able to change the eye colour of your character, it is not a new feature as claimed in the post."

It also provided a YouTube source to back up its claim, which showcased a Pokemon GO character customization process from seven years ago with the option to change eye color. Comments beneath the official post also remarked about the Community Note disputing the claim.

The latest avatar update has made significant changes to how avatars look in-game and the customization options available to trainers. The community has noted a drastic decrease in visual quality and overall lack of detail.

Specific outfits or Buddy Pokemon interactions are also affected by the update. Furthermore, some even claimed that Niantic was choosing to hide reviews on the App Store.

Pokemon GO all-new avatar update (Image via Niantic)

What is surprising (or perhaps not given the track record) is that Niantic chose to not respond to the grievances and instead double-down with the latest post on eye color customization in the April 2024 avatar update. That it got hit with a Community Note soon after further shows the gap between the developers and the player base.