Pokémon Go fans have been left seething this week after Niantic seemingly backflipped on what many believed to be a promise that the Sustainability Week 2023 event would include an event bonus allowing trainers to halve the distance that they normally would to earn Candy with their Buddy Pokémon.
Niantic mentioned it in an infographic in the lead-up to the event. In a tweet posted on April 20, however, the devs then said it was an error and would not be available as a bonus for the event after all, and fans are as disappointed as you’d expect.
To many, it was going to be the highlight of the Pokémon event.
“That was the only thing I was excited about,” said one fan. “I was so psyched for this bonus. Thinking I could potentially start getting some XL candy for my Mewtwo by walking with a Poffin. Now I’m just going to sit at home,” said another.
Fans agreed that since Niantic was the one who put out the wrong information in the first place, they should have followed through with it to appease the Pokémon Go community. In the views of the fans, had Niantic corrected the announcement before the event actually started, it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but since it ended up happening after it already launched in some countries, it’s a “very bad look.”
Fans speculated it was probably an intended bonus until Niantic realized it would be too easy for players to get mega and primal energy, which they claim are some of the many things the company has been “going out of their way” to make more difficult to obtain.
The blunder couldn’t have happened at a worse time either. Tensions have been high ever since Niantic went ahead with the controversial Remote Raid Pass changes. Fans also feel like there’s been a sharp decline in quality, claiming debuts don’t happen often anymore, raids are often rehashed, communities are dying, and more.
