Nianticmade the controversial decision toincrease the price, and limit the use, of remote raid passesinPokemon Gorecently. The backlash that followed includedplayers going on strikeand reports suggestingraid numbers have plummetedsince. However, Niantic has claimed the number of players raiding in person has actually increased since the changes were made, implying they will not be reversed despite the pushback.
The comment on raid numbers made by Niantic was actually a footnote in a statementrefuting a separate reportclaimingPokemon Go’s revenue hit a five-year lowlast month. “This year’s changes have already increased in-person Raiding and we’re excited to introduce exciting new features over the coming months,” a Niantic spokesperson toldEurogamer.
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The comment on raid numbers is actually the closest Niantic has come to acknowledging the remote raid pass changes. Well, outside ofa tweet it quickly deletedwhich poked fun at those whose Pokemon Go play has been affected by the feature being watered down. Some players went on strike after the changes were made, vowing to not spend money in-game. It seems doing that may not have had the desired impact, at least not according to Niantic.
What’s interesting about Niantic’s statement denying revenue has fallen and raid numbers are down is the statistics that were coupled with those original reports. The studio won’t divulge its own numbers so it will have to be a case of taking the spokesperson’s word for it. The revenue numbers were supplied by AppMagic (viaMobilegamer.biz) but Niantic claimed reports of its revenue from third parties are never accurate.
There was also a report that raid numbers are lower than ever. Niantic didn’t reference those reports specifically, perhaps because they are hard to refute. They come fromPokebattler, a site dedicated to tracking Pokemon Go raid numbers, claiming the amount of trainers participating in raids has dropped by more than half since the changes to remote raid passes were made. Niantic has also been incredibly careful when selecting its words for its statement, making sure to note participation in in-person raids is up, not raids as a whole. Unsurprising when the ability to raid remotely has been greatly limited.
The denial that revenue has dropped and insistence raid numbers are good likely means Niantic won’t be walking back its remote raid pass changes even though a lot of people aren’t happy about them. It’s not unheard of for the studio to reverse an unpopular tweak, previouslyre-expanding Pokestop radiuses, another pandemic change it made and then tried to get rid of. Some players have already moved on to the next problem they have with Pokemon Go though upon learninghow unlikely it currently is to hatch a Larvesta.
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