Niantic raises eyebrows after using player’s glitchy screenshot for Pokemon Go ad
NianticPokemon Go players have a bunch of questions for Niantic after a player’s old glitchy screenshot was spotted in a recent promotional image.
Niantic, the developers of Pokemon Go, find themselves in a peculiar situation after a player called them out for using their very own in-game screenshot in a recent social media post.
The post in question, shared on Twitter, shows a Trainer playing Pokemon Go near a docked cruise ship. The caption, “Does something look out of place to you?” hinted at a hidden Pikachu behind a lamppost.
However, this seemingly innocuous post took a different turn when a Pokemon Go Trainer recognized the Trainer’s Pokemon Go gameplay as their own screenshot that was shared on Reddit’s Pokemon Go community more than two years ago.
The player posted on Reddit, “Pokemon GO literally took my screenshot from the subreddit from 2 years ago and used it in their official social media post.”
A closer look at the image reveals that the player in the social media post is surrounded by non-Water Pokemon, including Pidgey, Ledyba, Aipom, and more, identical to the one shared by the trainer years ago.
The Trainer originally shared the image as a way to highlight a glitch in the game, where biome spawns were not spawning correctly.
The player had posted, “Remember when going to the beach you would find Wingull, Staryu, Magikarp, water starters, fossils, Wailmer, and other water types? Seems like season spawns broke this.”
The irony of Niantic using a screenshot demonstrating a game issue as promotional material has left the community both amused and baffled. One user commented, “You can’t get any more ironic than Niantic using a screenshot of the game being broken as promo.”
The community is also stunned by the trainer’s sharp memory, with comments like, “The fact that you recognized it as being your screenshot from years ago is kind of funny too ngl,” and “That is WILD. I can’t believe you noticed it too!”
Maybe, as one user suggested, this could be a case for Detective Pikachu.
