Pokemon Go players boycott game amid nerfs to Remote Raids & price increases

Pokemon Go players are boycotting the game after Niantic announced nerfs to Remote Raids and increased their price significantly.

Pokemon Go has been embroiled in a whole host of criticisms the past 24 hours since the announcement that major changes were on the way. Niantic, the game’s developers, announced they will be nerfing Remote Raids and the prices of the passes will be raised. 

Prior to this confirmation, news of the changes was already leaked back in February 2023. However, it is only now that Niantic has made the change official. As a result, players are not happy, with community members saying that the changes are a detriment to players living in rural areas as well as those who suffer from disabilities. 

Pokemon Go players want to boycott game over Remote Raid changes

Consequently, players are now boycotting the game, not just due to the nerfs on Remote Raids, but due to the significant increase in cost for Remote Raid Passes. 

It’s happening. Starting April 6th, the STRIKE is on. For the ones who aren’t uninstalling, consider doing the strike for AT LEAST a week, but carry on as long as you wish. No remotes/premium raid passes from that time, and consider turning off adventure sync.
byu/Moumantai inpokemongo

A new Reddit thread, which has quickly gained a lot of momentum, is calling on the Pokemon Go community to boycott the game for a week after the update. 

The post criticized them, saying, “we’re all aware of the predatory monetization schemes in the game shop with overpriced boxes and items.” it continues, “and the greediness of the corporation grows as a result.”

The post writes that to participate in the boycott is relatively simple. 

• For an entire week after the change, do not use or purchase Remote/Premium Raid Passes
• Do as many in-preson raids as you would normally do, but to make sure that is no increase
• Spread the word of the changes and boycott to other players. 

They say the goal of the boycott is to show Niantic that the change is for the worse for the community. Writing in the post, “the only language corporations understand is money; if there’s a visible decrease for a week after the change, we’ve made our point.”

The boycott, the poster explains, is only for those who wish to not uninstall the game from their phones. And as various comments points out, the best way to boycott is to completely remove the game. 

As of now, Nianitic has no plans to reverse their decisions, and the angered community is still up in arms.