A few days have passed since Niantic announced a controversial change they’re making to Remote Raid Passes in Pokémon GO, and the community’s anger is still going strong.
Countless fans have voiced their concerns and criticized the developer on social media this weekend, begging it to backtrack on both the latest and upcoming Remote Raid Pass changes.
On March 30, the developer confirmed it will limit the number of daily use of the Remote Raid Passes to five per day with the aim of focusing on “in person” content instead of the remote playstyle that was encouraged since the Covid-19 pandemic.
It will also raise the item’s price in the shop to 195 PokéCoins per Pass. On the other side, more will be included in Research Breakthrough reward pools, but they won’t be guaranteed rewards.
Those changes are planned to be introduced to live servers on April 6. “We believe this change is necessary for the long-term health of the game, and we do not make it lightly,” it wrote in the announcement.
Related: Pokémon Go player theory suggests Niantic plotted out entire Remote Raid Pass backlash
Reddit threads criticizing Niantic’s latest decisions on Remote Raid Passes have been multiplying since then. Fans wrote open letters to the developer where they explained how those changes will affect negatively their game experience.
“You may think this change will get more people to raid in person. I can guarantee you that it will not,” a fan who’s been raiding regularly wrote. “We are all full-time students with responsibilities. I cannot imagine the players who are more rural or disabled. You will utterly destroy the community you have left.” The letter’s author urged Niantic to listen to players when implementing changes or they would abandon it.
Others already have taken that decision. Some wrote they’d boycott Pokémon GO‘s shop starting now, or would simply quit the game if those changes are implemented on April 6.
Players consider that with a price tag that high, buying Remote Raid Passes won’t be worth it anymore compared to regular Passes, even if it means clearing fewer raids due to being in person only.
A fan explained how she’s been consistently clearing Pokémon GO content and spending money on a game she loved for years, despite a busy schedule and living in a remote place. “It is not POSSIBLE for me take on raids and have a fighting chance of even winning by myself,” she wrote on a thread. “But what I can do is remote raids with people over seas at 1030 at night when my kids are asleep. Niantic just destroyed those opportunities for me and im pissed about it.”
Some other Pokémon GO fans offered possible solutions the developer could bring to compensate for the latest Remote Raid Passes. “If you’re going to Increase the price of In-game items…Why not increase the amount of Coins you can earn a day from 50 to 100?” suggested a user in the subreddit.
Players can earn coins by keeping Pokémon in Gyms. They’ll earn coins over time, until a rival team fights them out or until their time runs out due to decaying CP. It’s an easy way to save up resources and buy some precious items in the shop after a few days or weeks of Gym grind.
But the amount of coins earned per day has been limited to 50 for years, while prices have been progressively raising to buy items in the shop. This would be an easy way to compensate for this sort of inflation. In the comments, a user suggested that keeping in mind the focus on “in person” playstyle, Niantic could add a way to earn more Coins through walking, too.
The outrage some Pokémon GO fans are expressing is caused by successive changes Niantic implemented over the years to further limit the benefits of Remote Raid Passes. They were originally added as a temporary way for fans to keep playing despite lockdown measures to curb the global pandemic in 2020.
They gained so much popularity they remained in the game even after lockdowns were lifted around the globe, but the developer has been limiting their use over regular Passes since then. Niantic has yet to comment on the matter. The update is still planned to be introduced to live servers on Thursday, April 6.
