Pokémon Go players baffled by one weird location being the best place to play

While Pokémon Go is designed to be played anywhere in the world, some places clearly get more love than others. But one specific hot spot for Pokémon Go is a bit peculiar. Alcatraz, the famous island prison out in San Francisco Bay, happens to be a great place for Gyms, PokéStops, Raids, and Team Go Rocket.

Team Go Rocket’s strong presence on the prison-turned-landmark is particularly interesting, considering they’re a criminal organization on an island where notorious inmates like Al Capone were once held.

One fan commented with a theory on Reddit on May 28: “All the formerly arrested team rocket members stayed there and created their own island nation.”

Other Pokémon fans compared Alcatraz to Niantic’s headquarters, which also happens to be in San Francisco. “The Alcatraz housing Niantic is miles away,” one fan said. Likening Niantic to Team Go Rocket isn’t anything new, though. Players have been frustrated with many of Niantic’s recent decisions—the biggest being the still-ongoing Remote Raid Pass controversy.

In fact, some players used this Alcatraz discussion to comment on the declining state of Pokémon Go too: “At least there would be people to raid with in prison,” they wrote. Since Remote Raid Passes have new limitations and increased prices, fewer players are participating in raids these days. Some players have even quit altogether.

Another player added, “Why [has] Alcatraz got more PokéStops than my city of 80,000? Lmao.” As a popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, it feels as though Alcatraz gets special treatment compared to a lot of places where people would like to play, fans added, and that can be frustrating.

So, as awesome as it is to have a former prison be a place where players and Team Go Rocket can gather, it doesn’t necessarily help players who live in other areas.