Pokémon Go’s biggest grassroots community will cease operations after losing Niantic sponsorship

One of the most efficient fan-made tools that Pokémon Go players have used to connect with one another will soon be closing its doors.

The Silph Road, a long-standing hub for the wider Pokémon Go community that provided ample resources to players, announced today that Niantic has stepped away from its sponsorship of the website and the site as a whole will ultimately be shut down in the coming months. As of today, nearly all aspects of the website have been made inaccessible, with more features being shut down in the coming months.

“To the millions around the world who traveled the Silph Road with us, thank you,” the Silph Road team wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “May your next adventures bring you new discoveries to share when our paths cross again.”

Since Pokémon Go’s release in 2016, the Silph Road has acted as a way for players to connect with one another at both online and in-person events, track the locations of specific Pokémon, compete in community-driven tournaments, and more. Last year, Niantic began a partnership with the Silph Road to sponsor the site and make it ad-free, as well as working together to initiate a new Community Ambassador Program—which will now solely be run by Niantic, with no further details yet available.

In a Reddit post discussing the future of the Silph Road and acknowledging its massive success that spanned nearly a decade, the team announced both its subreddit and the Discord server will remain active. The website’s Arena Hall of Fame and all community-made traveler cards will be archived for access even after the website officially closes on Aug.1.

This announcement follows months in which many players have expressed discontent with how Niantic has been treating Pokémon Go’s player base, from a massive overhaul to the Remote Raid Pass system to the addition of Elite Raids that make certain Pokémon even more elusive. Niantic has not yet commented on any of the controversies, nor has it acknowledged the player strike against many of these changes that took place early last month.

Edit 5/12/23 3:03pm CT: Niantic has issued a statement regarding the end of their partnership with the Sliph Road, acknowledging what the website has been able to offer the community for the past several years.

Additionally, it detailed that the Community Ambassador Program will be continuing into “its next iteration,” where players will be able to apply via Niantic’s social app Campfire. More information regarding this process is expected to be revealed in the coming months.