Pokémon Go players slam Niantic for locking bonus content behind Party Play

Pokémon Go players are frustrated with Niantic for introducing Special Research tasks that require party participation, a move made to promote the new Party Play feature introduced this week.

This decision has upset players for two main reasons. Firstly, many players prefer playing solo and aren’t thrilled about being pushed to play in groups. Secondly, these tasks, which they have no interest in completing, will permanently clutter their task list because the game doesn’t allow them to skip or delete tasks.

This situation has left players feeling forced into a play style they don’t enjoy, with no option to remove the unwanted tasks.

“Very strange to me that they would lock research behind creating a local party with people right next to you instead of just giving you the research the first time you create a party,” one player commented.

Others expressed their preference for solo play, with one saying, “I enjoy being a solo player. Niantic, don’t drop this shit in my lap.” The sentiment was shared by another players who added, “Niantic grossly overestimates how much I want to interact with random strangers.”

While it’s not a game-breaking problem, it’s definitely an annoying one. Some players have said they might go as far as creating new accounts on different devices just to form a party and complete these tasks. This workaround shows how far players are willing to go to keep playing solo.

The rewards for completing these tasks include encounters with Chansey, Lapras, Alolan Raichu, Alolan Marowak, Eevee, Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon, as well as some cosmetic items, a lot of EXP, and a lot of Stardust. Players say it’s not fair to miss out on them simply because they prefer solo play, and believe they shouldn’t be forced into Party Play to receive them.