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Pokemon GO and its steadfast community have been locked in boiling tensions this April. After Niantic's latest changes to remote raiding, many players are voicing their objections to the developer and have outlined why they're upset with the game's direction as well as its heavy focus on in-person raiding.
Earlier this month, Niantic implemented changes that placed a limit on how many remote raids could be joined per day. Furthermore, Pokemon GO's in-game shop increased the Pokecoin cost for Remote Raid Passes.
Fans have cried foul, and everyday players, along with prominent content creators, have pushed back on social media with direct replies, as well as hashtags such as #HearUsNiantic.
In a recent Reddit post by Pokemon GO player Diverii, a meme was used to express the overall distaste for the situation. The headline of the post read, "Not everyone is a big city dweller".
Pokemon GO fans lament Niantic's blind eye to players in remote locations
The meme posted by Diverii addresses a common refrain among some Pokemon GO fans who don't mind the remote raiding changes. In their eyes, if remote raids are being made less accessible, players should simply head out into the game world and play via in-person raiding, where trainers must be a short distance away from the physical location of the gym.
However, this remark doesn't account for players who live in countries or certain locales that don't have high populations. It also doesn't take individuals with disabilities into consideration.
Just because in-person raiding exists in Pokemon GO, doesn't mean there are always enough players participating in it. In towns and rural areas with lower populations, the notion that players can easily find people to raid with is incorrect, even if they use Niantic's Campfire app or third-party apps to coordinate with other players. This is particularly true of high-tier raids where more players are needed to successfully take down the raid boss.
For plenty of Pokemon GO fans, in-person raiding likely isn't too difficult. They can head out to a park or notable location in their city and find at least a handful of people getting ready to raid an in-game gym.
However, some players live in locations where gyms are scarce, or where the weather is too extreme to facilitate individuals spending time outside for prolonged periods. Some fans also have disabilities or medical conditions that prevent them from being around others in some capacity, and the latest round of remote raid changes make them feel like they're being punished.
Additionally, some Pokemon GO users in the Reddit thread stated that although they live in large cities, they still have a tough time finding players to raid with in gyms. They may find a handful of people on occasion, but beating 5-star, 6-star, and Elite Raids requires careful coordination between players.
Since many casual fans have moved on from the mobile title, finding people raiding gyms regularly is sporadic at best even in locations where there are plenty of gyms and individuals playing the game.
Pokemon GO Redditor ImperfectWolf also pointed out Niantic's decision to allow players to make raid lobbies private, leaving some players out in the cold if they aren't already part of a dedicated raiding group.
Social factors are also very much at play in the game's raiding changes, as some fans don't have the sunny disposition towards strangers that Niantic seems to think they do. Resultingly, players develop small groups of dedicated friends and acquaintances and shut out anybody they don't know or like from the raid entirely by making the lobby private.
Sure, the community and Niantic itself offer ways for players to connect and play the game together, but that doesn't necessarily mean the tools are being used as intended. If a raid fails, or players aren't keen on being in real-world locations with strangers, using Campfire or apps like PokeGenie isn't exactly conducive to raiding at all.
Furthermore, there's a matter of scheduling, since the game doesn't notify other players of when their counterparts are raiding a location. They may receive a message that a raid egg has hatched, but without knowing when players are grouping up to take the raid on. It's anybody's guess as to how many players are near a gym at a given time.
Unfortunately, despite the community's fervent opposition to Niantic's remote raiding changes, the developer appears to be doubling down on its decision. In a recent blog post, Niantic remarked that remote raiding was detrimental to the long-term survival of the game, as it removed the incentive to head out into the world and meet other players.
That certainly sounds plausible on its face, but the fact of the matter is that raiding, whether remote or in-person, doesn't exactly operate the way that Niantic thinks it does.
Sadly, Niantic doesn't appear to be hearing out its playerbase, and it may not make a change until it is severely affected by the backlash.
