"Congrats rural players": Pokemon GO community reacts to new in-game map changes

Following the recent newsletter Niantic has just released regarding their upcoming map update for Pokemon GO, many players have found themselves feeling optimistic. With this new map overhaul seemingly only bringing positive changes, the playerbase has been happily looking forward to it, which is a bit of a rare occurrence.

Following some of Niantic's more questionable and anti-consumer changes, the new map update may seem a bit too good to be true. Giving trainers in rural areas a chance to join in the fun after years of longing always seemed like a wish that would never come true. Thankfully, those days are coming to an end.

Reading the newsletter, Niantic appears to be making these map changes to Pokemon GO as a way to give everyone a chance to catch 'em all. One of the main points of interest comes towards the end of the announcement, where Niantic revealed that they would be increasing the spawn rate of Pokemon in rural areas.

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Reddit reacts to Pokemon GO's recent map-overhaul announcement

On the Pokemon GO subreddit, user Jam-sause posted an overview of everything mentioned in the recent newsletter. Here, the main points are the "visual refresh" Niantic promised the community, along with two more boxes explaining that more Pokemon will spawn in rural areas, and those in urban locales will be more spread out.

While the response has been relatively optimistic, a lot of players are waiting before they get their hopes up. This is due to the inclusion of the term "may" in the section regarding the increase in spawn rates in rural areas. While it may seem like a minor detail to most gamers, the community has been quite vocal about it.

Some users are cautious regarding the map update for Pokemon GO due to how the term "may" has been used for events like Community Days and holiday celebrations. For these occasions, the term "may" is used to describe how players can find Shiny Pokemon. Essentially, Niantic uses it as a way to say that nothing is guaranteed.

Others have pointed out that this change in rural spawns may only happen for certain areas. Some seem to think Niantic may not be capable of implementing a true rural spawn boost in Pokemon GO given just how vast the planet is. With this in mind, it may be more realistic to imagine this change for places like campsites.

Overall, fans seem a bit jaded on Reddit, given Niantic's reputation for letting its players down as well as their anti-consumer practices. If this change is everything the developer promises it to be, trainers around the globe are sure to be in for a truly special mobile experience. Naturally, this has led to mostly mixed responses.

The best course of action is to simply wait and see if Niantic follows through on their promises. Worst case scenario: the game remains as it is, but with a more visually appealing overworld display. If Niantic does go through with increasing the general spawn rate of Pokemon for rural communities, it may restore the playerbase's hopes in the company.

This can be an excellent chance for Niantic to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Pokemon GO community.