Pokemon Go players criticize Niantic’s “very poor” rollout of Routes feature

Pokemon Go players continue to criticize Niantic for its handling of the new Routes feature.

Niantic’s rollout of Pokemon Go Routes has been under fire by trainers. Shortly after its launch, Go players took issue with the fact that Routes could not be created, despite the need to use them for in-game objectives.

Another issue that’s developed since the introduction of the feature is the lengthy approval process of Routes.

Niantic provided an update on how long it takes for a Route to be approved, but trainers are unhappy.

Niantic

Pokemon Go under fire over handling of Routes feature

Recently, Pokemon Go users reported the inability to find Routes in the mobile game. The issue frustrated some, as developer Niantic added a new ‘A to Zygarde’ Special Research challenge to the game. However, it does require trainers to use Routes to claim various rewards.

On Twitter, Niantic Support gave Go players some details on the approval process. In a tweet, Niantic stated that it has an “exhaustive review process” that evaluates a Route’s viability and safety. Per the developer, it typically takes “one week to go through the process or longer.”

Hi Chris. We have an exhaustive review process that evaluates the viability & safety of a Route before accepting or rejecting it. The duration may vary based on the number of entries received. It typically takes one week to go through the process or longer. Thank you! ^LN

— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) July 23, 2023

Reddit users have criticized Niantic’s handling of the new feature on The Silph Road subreddit.

One player stated that Niantic should have rolled out Routes in Pokemon Go a week early to ensure that Routes were approved before the start of the Special Research. “Ok then maybe they should have rolled the feature out to everyone, then given a week or two notice of the routes event coming, and THEN launched the routes event.”

Another trainer claimed that Niantic rushed out Routes, “Just like showcases, they pushed this out way too early so they can be used for Go Fest even though they are extremely buggy.”

In other Pokemon Go-related news, Niantic rescheduled a July 23 makeup date for the Squirtle Community Day Classic. It comes after login issues marred the original Classic event that took place earlier in July.