What are the new Pokemon GO map changes announced by Niantic?

Niantic has just announced on the official Pokemon GO website that they will be rolling out new changes for the overworld map. While not much is known about this new update, Niantic has provided enough information to pique the interest of many hardcore players with regard to what the developers aim to fix.

With the most recent newsletter from Niantic, the company has announced some big plans for Pokemon GO. So what do players have to look forward to? While the developers used some rather vague language while describing this new wave of visual overhauls, some ideas can be inferred from the fresh announcement.

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Pokemon GO's upcoming visual update: A breath of fresh air or blowing smoke?

Official artwork for Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

The recent newsletter details this upcoming overhaul as a "global map refresh." The announcement mentions a shift in the graphics in an effort to more accurately reflect the real world as a way to immerse players. While what this detail means exactly is not clear, chances are that it implies the overworld may look more like realistic street-view maps.

Niantic also stated that this new update in the mapping system will include local changes such as removals of old roads as well as the addition of newly-constructed buildings. This could also mean that more Pokestops are on their way to Pokemon GO as well, depending on the added structure in the upcoming overhaul.

One change players have been asking for since the game's launch is more creatures to generate in rural areas. Thankfully, Niantic has finally confirmed that this upcoming update will aim to greatly increase the spawn rate for these areas. Some more welcome alterations will be made to spawn rates in general as well.

While the same amount of Pokemon will spawn in busy urban areas, they will be more spread out to lighten the processing load this can have on lower-end devices. Niantic also hinted at the possibility that trainers could see Pokemon appear in different areas. While it's uncertain what this means exactly, it may allude to more nest locations.

These were all of the things Niantic released in their recent newsletter. The developers failed to offer any sort of prediction regarding a release date for this next update, so it is fair to assume that it may still be a bit of a wait away.

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As many gamers are aware, the map for Niantic's geocaching mobile experience has been quite bland in terms of its visual appeal. Sure, trainers have received visual overhauls for special occasions and events, but these decorations always fade, leaving users to wander in an abyss of white and green.

Any sort of map update for Pokemon GO is always a refreshing change. With the news of rural communities seeing a spike in Pokemon spawns, gamers around the globe are excited to see that Niantic is finally taking feedback from its playerbase seriously. What the developers have in store for this overhaul remains to be seen. Will it meet the expectations of the fans?