The Pokémon Go Community Days have been cut in half for the time being, with events taking place over a 3-hour period. The decision was understandably met with disappointment from fans, but game director Michael Steranka has now provided some context on the changes in an interview with Kotaku.
Crucially, Niantic doesn’t want Pokémon Go to be a game that can be played to the fullest in the comfort of your own home. Naturally, changes are needed to account for the restrictions surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Niantic is currently taking a stance of trusting players to make sound decisions about how they navigate the regulations. local rules and restrictions. Steranka said that Niantic “encourages players to follow local guidelines and regulations,” but “it’s not something we’re trying to police on our side”.
So why change to 3 hour sessions? Basically, it’s to encourage everyone to venture out at once if possible. Steranka reiterates the three core pillars of Pokémon Go: “The first is discovery, the second is exercise, and the third is real-world social interaction. In terms of what we obtained, we really did. intend to rely on it.”
He also went on to say that the recent change to Incense, will now generate an encounter every 5 minutes when stationary, as opposed to one every minute before, which is designed to reinforce activity. Explore, exercise and interact in the real world. “It is certainly not to generate more revenue on Incense. We’re generating less revenue, because the item is less useful, right? We never wanted Pokémon GO becomes a product that you can fully complete and enjoy from your couch. And the fact of the matter is, with the power of Incense, fixed players could already do that, right? ”
Steranka also stressed that the company is looking at options for people with disabilities who may not be able to participate in Community Day, but stopped short of explaining exactly what those plans would entail.
Do you think the changes to Community Day make sense? Let us know in the usual place.
