Niantic moves to combat Pokémon Go raid slump with huge Campfire expansion

Pokémon Go players who are active in the online community already know about Niantic’s social app Campfire, and now its reach is being extended again with its global release. With this expansion, the developers are also launching a new feature that is supposed to make it easier for players to raid locally.

The entire point of Campfire is to make connecting with local communities across Niantic’s library of titles easier than ever by implementing new features directly into the game. Pokémon Go players will now be able to access Campfire’s social features by connecting both apps and opening the in-game map.

For this global release, the big new feature is called Team Up, which started testing back in March and will be accessible through Pokémon Go’s map screen. Players can click Team Up and choose to join or host a raid by selecting a targeted raid from the drop-down list or the provided map that details various in-game activities in your area—raids will also be filtered based on if they are close enough for you to host or join them. 

Hosting a raid will let up to five other players join your group if they are nearby. Once you have a party, the game will automatically prompt you to add them as a friend before inviting them to the raid. 

If you prefer to just join someone else’s party you will be automatically matched with a host and can hop into the raid when you are invited. All players who join a party can communicate using preset messages through a chat feature. 

This addition to Campfire won’t change how most players enjoy Pokémon Go, but it does address some concerns for players in areas where in-person raiding has become a chore. With Remote Raids being less accessible now due to previous changes, you are more likely to need actual local players to group up with and take on harder raids, which this app looks to make easier.

Related: Niantic reverses ‘unintended’ Pokémon Go spawn boost—and the community is not happy

As for its other features, Campfire also lets users track hotspots where other Pokémon Go players tend to gather while helping them connect using direct messages and other tools. 

There are also still some serious concerns about how this app will beat out widely adopted third-party options like Poke Genie, such as how it looks like you can’t pick which raids you join if you queue up.

If you don’t use those other apps, Campfire is worth a try now that it is globally available, and hopefully, Niantic will improve the experience with future updates.