Niantic to Frustrated Pokemon AR Gamers—“We Hear You”

After an outpouring of criticism from players, Pokemon Go makers Niantic is forming an internal team aimed at finding a middle ground between the AR gaming experience fans came to love during the pandemic and the vision Niantic has for the game.

To recap, a week ago, Niantic in the U.S. and New Zealand rolled back temporary pandemic safety changes it had made to Pokemon Go, including shrinking the range that players must be within in order to interact with points of interest on Go’s real-world map. The rollback means players have to roam around outside more. While good for Niantic’s goals of “encouraging outdoor exploration,” the switch upset players who found the pandemic changes had made the game more accessible to people with disabilities (or simply more fun and rewarding to play).