Pokemon Go players in the USA and New Zealand can now enjoy playing their favorite augmented reality game like they did before the pandemic, for better or for worse. Niantic — the developer of Pokemon Go — has released a new update for the popular mobile game; an update that reverts some of the changes made when the COVID pandemic started.
Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that uses the map of the real world as its game world, inviting players to go outside, hunt for Pokemon, and do battle with other players. To make the game playable during lockdowns, Niantic had previously tuned the game's mechanics in a way that would allow Pokemon Go players to enjoy the game from the comfort of their homes.
Pokemon Go players in the USA and NZ need to go back outside
Niantic is now rolling out a new Pokemon Go update in the USA and New Zealand. The update will revert PokeStop and Gym interaction distances to normal (40 meters instead of 80 meters), and the frequency of buddy Pokemon Gifts has been reduced to make up for the fact that players will now be collecting more items from outside PokeStops. Additionally, after the new update, Incense effectiveness will be boosted only while moving.
These changes to Pokemon Go are bringing the game back to its normal state pre-pandemic, at least in the USA and New Zealand, though more regions could follow soon. But, oddly enough, not every Pokemon Go player is happy with these latest changes, as it was more convenient playing the game from their homes, even if this kind of defeats the purpose of Pokemon Go — one of the most social mobile games in existence.
