Hello there, fellow trainer! Watson here.
If you have been keeping up with the recent Pokémon GO news, you will know that there is a massive controversy that has been going on in the Pokémon GO community. Yes, I refer to the April 6th Remote Raid Pass Update.
The Changes
Let me tell you what it states:
Trainers,
We want to give you a heads-up about changes coming to Pokémon GO’s Remote Raid Passes. These changes are designed to rebalance the game and ensure it’s enjoyed by Trainers for years to come. The changes will go into effect on April 6, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. PDT (GMT -7).
Pricing adjustments
- The price of the Remote Raid Pass three-pack will increase to 525 PokéCoins.
- The price of single Remote Raid Passes will increase to 195 PokéCoins.
- A Premium Battle Pass three-pack will be added to the shop for the price of 250 PokéCoins.
Remote Raid participation limits
- Trainers will be able to participate in a maximum of five Remote Raids per day.
- This maximum may change and increase for special events.
Remote Raid Passes
- Remote Raid Passes will be included in the pool of potential rewards for Research Breakthroughs.
- Remote Raid Passes earned via Research Breakthroughs will still be subject to the existing inventory limit of three Remote Raid Passes per Trainer.
- If a Trainer earns a Remote Raid Pass from a Research Breakthrough while at the three Remote Raid Pass limit, they will receive a Premium Battle Pass instead.
Purchases of Remote Raid Pass 3-Packs will still allow you to hold up to 5 Remote Raid Passes if you purchase it with 2 Remote Passes already in your inventory.
Candy XL
- Trainers who participate in five-star raids in person will earn more Candy XL than before.
Since their introduction in 2020, Remote Raid Passes have come to dominate the experience of playing Pokémon GO in a way we never intended. Rewarding Trainers with additional Candy XL and adding other new features are two of the ways we hope to further incentivize playing Pokémon GO in person with your friends, family, and community.
We plan to keep Remote Raid Passes as part of Pokémon GO. However, we believe this change is necessary for the long-term health of the game, and we do not make it lightly. We feel this is a necessary step toward our goal of preserving and improving the unique experience of playing Pokémon GO—a game we hope you continue to enjoy long into the future.
—The Pokémon GO team
My opinion
Let me make it clear:
This change is NOT good as it negatively impacts the experience of many trainers globally.
When I say this, I don’t mean to insult or hurt anyone. A lot of Pokémon GO players live in rural areas, and thus–rely on remote raiding to get Legendaries and participate in Raid Days. Some cities have Local Discord/Facebook groups but not everyone does. Not every place is full of Gyms and PokéStops.
This also affects disabled players who are physically and/or mentally unable to go outside for in-person raids, and single parents and working adults who are either occupied with their family or their job; who don’t have time on their schedules to go outside and meet up with other trainers, if there are any.
Limiting the remote raids a person can participate in, to five–makes it significantly harder for players like the ones I mentioned above to shiny hunt and get XL candy for rare and exclusive Pokémon like legendaries and mythicals.
However, this limitation is not even the worst part. It is actually the price increase which hurts. One Remote Raid Pass now costs 195 PokéCoins and the bundle of three costs 525 PokéCoins. The costs of these Remote Raid Passes have almost doubled than their original(100 PokéCoins). Most of the player base do less than five Remote Raids per day, but they do use Remote Raid Passes constantly.
Now, it will take a free to play player at least four days of getting daily gym coins to be able to purchase a Remote Raid Pass, compared to the two days before this update.
What we all need is: Change. But before that, there needs to be acknowledgement and discussion. I personally believe that Niantic should have better communication with the ambassadors, community leaders and just the general player base. They should at least acknowledge the constant efforts of the Pokémon GO community, and read the petition which now has over a 100k signatures, before taking action or changing anything.
This is the process of solving any problem. First, you have to acknowledge it. Niantic can set up a meeting or just talk privately to Community Leaders and Content Creators who have constructive feedback to share, and help the game improve. These past few months have been quite a rollercoaster for the player base, consisting of great events and updates but also downgrading or negative changes like the one we are talking about right now and also Elite Raids. And many people on Twitter have come up with various ways to improve the game.
Next, we have to make Niantic understand the negative impacts this Remote Raid Change has causes. This includes many players quitting, not much motivation to play the game or raid, and also spending less money(which is bad for Niantic’s revenue). Many players have gone free to play and even boycotted the game. We have to make Niantic aware that a video game’s most important purpose is to keep the player base satisfied and happy. This is NOT what is happening right now.
Lastly, it is all upto Niantic. It is their game in the end, and they can do anything they want with it. But don’t let this discourage you! This doesn’t mean that we have to stop fighting for what we believe in, and just give up hope for any change.
Pokémon GO is a game that is meant to go outside and Niantic’s prime goal is to ensure that. But it seems as if they have forgotten about the friends and community we have built online these past few years. It has strengthened a whole lot and if you now go on Twitter or any other social media site, you will find Pokémon GO groups and friend codes and all. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we don’t need to be in-person to make friends.
Remote Raids don’t kill in-person raiding; it helps us build bonds and friendships with our online friends and helps us get to know them better. For example, Fleece King wants that 100% IV Shiny Rayquaza really bad so all his friends list people are going to spam him with Rayquaza invites so he completes his goal. This is the same as people helping and coordinating in-person, isn’t it?
What Niantic Can Do
The credit for some of these ideas goes to @TheTrainerClubb, @JTGily, and the authors of the #HearUsNiantic letter.
If Niantic wants players to get outside and make friends, then they should buff or incentivise In-person Raids rather than heavily nerfing Remote Raids which are now a significant part of the game. These are some features that they can include to drive the player base to In-person Raids. But they shouldn’t just take away Remote Raids for those who need it to keep up with the game.
- Increased Lucky Friend Odds when Interaction during an In-Person Raid
- A Higher(12-12-12 base) IV Floors for the Pokémon caught during the Bonus Challenge.
- Premium Items like Star Piece, Incubators, Lucky Eggs as rewards from winning the Raid Battle.
- More XP, Stardust and Premier Balls rewarded during an In-Person Raid.
- Higher Shiny Rates for In-Person Raids. Maybe 1/15 for legendaries and 1/125 for 1-star and 3-star Raids.
- Raid Bosses are easier to defeat during In-Person Raids, or maybe a longer timer(6 minutes?) during In-Person Raids.
Not all of these would be implemented, but that’s okay. These are just some of the many suggestions that the player base have asked for since the change to buff In-Person Raids rather than nerfing Remotes.
Conclusion
Well, what do YOU think? Do you want Niantic to implement any of these features I mentioned above, or do you have other ideas? Let me know below.
….And remember that its the community we have built through Pokémon GO that matters the most.
Bye, and until next time, Trainers!
