"Should I purify this?": Pokemon GO community vents frustration towards Niantic

Niantic's recent changes to Pokemon GO have been met with widespread criticism from players, with accusations of anti-consumerism being leveled against the company. Many players have expressed dissatisfaction with these changes, with some even uninstalling the game and giving up on the mobile game.

One place where the community's opinions are evident is the game's official subreddit, which is filled with negative feedback following the recent changes to remote raiding. It appears that there is a prevailing negative sentiment on the forum these days, with players getting more creative in expressing their distaste for the changes.

Here's how players have been venting their frustration in regards to Niantic's anti-consumer practices.

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Reddit reacts to Niantic's anti-consumerism in Pokemon GO

A screenshot from a recent Reddit post

Posted to the official Pokemon GO subreddit, u/hjuvapena uploaded their own take on the situation by using a picture in which Niantic can be seen as a Shadow Pokemon in the game. The second panel displays a message about the Shadow Niantic awaiting purification. Since Shadow Pokemon are aggressive creatures that have had their hearts sealed, resulting in increased hostility and acting out against their trainer, it is a pretty spot-on comparison considering Niantic's frequent bites at the hands that feed them.

Given the artist's interpretation of the situation, it would seem that what has the community riled up the most is Niantic's unwillingness to listen to the feedback the community provides. This was not always the case, and there was a point in time when Niantic worked very closely with their players to give them exactly what they wanted.

A screenshot from the Reddit thread

Despite Pokemon GO facing challenging times with many players losing hope, it's never too late for Niantic to make much-needed changes. The recent remote raid nerfs have been a breaking point for many players, and a simple reversion of these changes could potentially help win back some of the lost fans.

However, reversing the changes may not be enough for some players to give Niantic another chance. Implementing community-based changes could be a step in the right direction. In the past, Niantic used to consult fans through surveys for occasional Community Day events, where players could vote for one of four different Pokemon to be the spotlight creature for the next event. Bringing back such community engagement initiatives could help rebuild player trust and strengthen the bond between Niantic and the Pokemon GO community.

A screenshot from the Reddit thread

Since Niantic has not polled their community for this type of content in over two years, a good step in the right direction would be to implement similar systems. Letting players vote on Community Days and Spotlight Hours will surely generate much more hype than they already do.

Overall, to summarize the situation, players are mad about Niantic not listening to Pokemon GO's community when making changes to the mobile title. As such, a good way to mitigate the controversy would be to simply listen more and change less.