Pokemon Go fans still have hope for remote trades despite Niantic’s comments

Any sort of remote gameplay with Pokemon Go is always going to be a source of debate, whether you’re looking at community events or Raid battles.

Some elements of Pokemon Go are locked behind in-person activities – such as the controversial Mega Rayquaza Elite Raids – and it can be a sore point for many players, especially when it comes to events that are time-gated or hard to take part in.

One gameplay mechanic that fans have been tearing into is trading, and the lack of any remote options to go alongside it. This became the topic of a fierce community debate online, with fans split down the middle on whether remote trading will ever be a thing in Pokemon Go.

Popping up in an r/pokemongo post, a Pokemon Go player declared that remote trading should be a thing, explaining, “We should be able to trade with friends regardless of distance,” clarifying that the feature could work like a mini GTS request service.

Some players fell in love with the idea of remote trading. One agreed, ” I wish. I used to have a lot of IRL friends who played but of the group I’m the only one still going, and I just don’t have it in me to meet people for the sole sake of this game lol.”

Others shared their ideas on how the system could work, saying that it could be dependent on Lucky Friends or that CP limits could be introduced. One player said it should be, “Just for random Lucky trades. So you have to interact, it is rare enough and you have to sweat a little bit.”

Not everyone was convinced, though. One player referenced Michael Steranka from Niantic and dismissals that he shared in interviews about the possibility of remote trades being introduced – like this Battle Catz podcast episode.

One player chipped in with their thoughts, saying “It would be too easy to turn regionals and others into gold spam. That’s why it’ll never happen.” Another agreed, “It would make regionals basically pointless if you could simply go online and find someone in another country willing to give you one.”

Some readers hoped to find a middle ground, with one person adding, “Even one trade per lucky friend after being lucky friend for x number of days would be better than nothing … No one will ever complete the dex without being rich and able to travel across the world.”

Whether you’re in love with the idea of remote trading or you think it would ruin the game, it’s clear that remote content will always be a point of contention in the Pokemon Go community. Remote trading feels unlikely based on Niantic’s comments – but stranger things have happened.