Pokémon Go players ‘hate’ that Niantic is pushing Party Play content with no alternatives

Pokémon Go’s Party Up event aims to promote its Party Play feature, alongside celebrating Paldean Pokémons, but the fact that all of its Timed Research tasks require players to be in parties isn’t sitting well with many.  

In a Reddit post on Nov. 22, a user named u/LycanRPG expressed major frustration about the new event’s Timed Research being restricted to Party Play only. To make things worse, there are no alternatives for those who don’t have people to team up with, so they can’t participate in the research at all. 

“I hate this so much,” LycanRPG wrote in their post. “I already don’t know anyone else in my city that plays and I don’t plan on walking up to random strangers whether they’re clearly playing or not.” They also highlighted that it’s Thanksgiving week, so many players won’t be available to team up in Pokémon Go.

Party Play has always posed a problem for rural players. Remote areas don’t boast a high number of Pokémon Go players, making it hard to find or connect with another to create parties. 

Interestingly, Lycan’s post attracted several players who were planning to skip the Party Up event for the same reason. “A lot of people won’t be doing it. Like me and people I actually know in real life who really play,” one player wrote. 

Many others highlighted the importance of treating Pokémon Go like a game (as it should be) and suggested focusing on spending time with family and friends instead. “No need to waste your hate energy on something that’s not worth it. Play it to have fun and enjoy this time with your family instead,” a popular comment read.

Another player revealed they haven’t left out a research in a long time and that the “completionist” within them isn’t fine with it. “But Party Play is very clearly something that isn’t for everyone, unfortunately,” they wrote. 

The Timed Research exclusive to the Party Up event comes with a few exciting rewards, including a Hisuian Growlithe encounter, one lucky egg, one Premium Battle Pass, 1,000 Stardust, and more. That said, it isn’t something you’d heavily miss; you’ll have many more chances to earn all of those listed rewards. 

You can always participate in the Field Research, and if you didn’t get the second Master Ball, the paid Special Research.