Pokémon GO won’t be rolling back pandemic changes after all 

Niantic has announced that, after considerable fan backlash, they won’t be rolling back the pandemic based bonuses and changes introduced to Pokémon GO after all. 

“We’re looking forward to sharing our plans as a result of the task force on September 1, but one thing does not have to wait! From now on, 80 meters will be the base interaction radius for PokéStops and Gyms globally,” Niantic announced in a tweet. 

Niantic had announced their plans to revert the changes, brought in to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, back in June, and since then players have been speaking out about how these changes did a lot more good than allowing them to social distance. 

Fans argued that the changes didn’t just allow them to social distance more effectively, but it also helped players avoid dangerous situations such as crossing busy roads or trespassing to get in the radius of PokéStops. The changes also aided those with disabilities who may not have been able to access certain areas and PokéStops before the radius increase. 

Previously responding to concerns, Niantic wrote “We hear you. We are humbled by your response.” As a result of these concerns, Niantic set up the task force they mentioned in their tweet, who are looking for the best solution to “preserve our mission of inspiring people to explore the world together, while also addressing specific concerns that have been raised regarding interaction distance.” 

Thank you to everyone who made your voices heard. We’ve heard you and understand that this has been a welcome benefit to many players. We’ll share more next week. (2/2)

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 25, 2021

Niantic has said that they’re going to “share more next week” once the task force reports their findings, so we’ll know more about the future of Pokémon GO soon. With Pokémon GO already having earned over five billion dollars, it’ll be sticking around for a long time to come no matter what happens.