After fans threatened to boycott the game last month, Niantic is set to standardize bonuses in Pokémon GO across all regions. This is following the internal task force’s findings regarding the Covid-19 situation worldwide.
Just last week, the company increased the interaction distance of Pokéstops and Gyms to help players distance themselves from one another when they’re outside and enjoy the game when playing from home.
Niantic promised to divulge the findings of the internal task force on September 1. It seems the company will implement the same bonuses across all regions, which will begin when Season of Mischief launches at 10 a.m. local time today.
Trainers,
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 31, 2021
As a result of our recent task force discussions, we will be replacing the two current sets of region-based bonuses with one set of global bonuses at the start of the Season of Mischief.
This means that bonuses only exclusive to the U.S. and New Zealand will be removed. For instance, getting 10 times XP for spinning Pokéstops for the first time and acquiring up to two free Raid passes per day by spinning Gym Photo Discs will no longer take effect.
Instead, all regions will enjoy increased incense effectiveness while walking, three times bonus XP when spinning Pokéstops for the first time, and two times Lure duration during the Season of the Mischief.
Further, the following bonuses will continue to take effect in the foreseeable future:
- Increased incense effectiveness
- Boosted damage for Trainers battling remotely in Raids
- Guaranteed Gifts from Pokéstop spins
- Buddy Pokémon bringing you gifts more often
For those who do not know, the bonuses are expected to last until the end of Season of the Mischief, December 1, 2021.
All of these changes are meant to incentivize Trainers by playing the game at home. This is great amid the harsh lockdowns and stricter measures imposed by governments due to the Covid-19 Delta variant.
While it is great that the company is standardizing bonuses across regions, some fans still want more.
User @durenle said that Niantic must give Trainers all over the world two free Raid passes daily. The company must also think about making changes for those playing in rural areas to gain plenty of Pokécoins since all they can do right now is defend Gyms that do not give enough.
Another user suggests that the company should add an item trade feature, which will be useful for many people who are forced to stay at home.
Other than that, the community appears generally happy with this.
What do you think about the current changes in Pokémon GO?
