Pokemon Go players slam Niantic over removal of popular Routes
NianticPokemon Go players are unhappy with Niantic’s management accusing the developer of deleting popular Routes for no clear reason despite them getting plenty of use.
First introduced in July 2023, Routes offered a new way to play Pokemon Go. This feature allows trainers to create routes based on their walking patterns and then others can follow the trail, catching Pokemon on the way.
In addition to the caught Pokemon, Routes also give faster Buddy Candy, bonus XP, and a Buddy heart for your active Buddy on completion. Though some Routes have come under fire for their questionable layouts, the feature as a whole has been praised as a good addition.
However, concerns are now being raised about Niantic’s management of Routes with some community members questioning why they keep getting deleted.
Pokemon Go players furious after “1000+ used” Route is deleted
Upset by the removal of one of their Routes, one player shared on Reddit, “1000+ used Route, deleted just because,” followed by, “I returned to Work last week to see that a route I created when the feature was first implemented has been deleted because it’s ‘inaccessible’.”
Detailing the Route, they continued, “The route is in London and takes you from Liverpool Street Station south via public streets with pedestrians access down and across London Bridge where it ends, a common commute for most Londoners and even Tourists.”
Others related to OP revealing they had suffered a similar fate, “I had my first 2 routes I created eventually deleted as well. Both well known and used walking paths in parks. Literally, paths designed within parks for people to walk on. But they are ‘unsafe/hazardous’ now because someone flagged them.”
Another like-minded trainer replied, “I also had a few routes deleted for the same reason, resubmitted and it was approved and then deleted again the next day.”
Theorizing why Routes are removed, one post read, “All it takes is one report from some idiot who doesn’t know what they’re doing for them to shut down the route. It’s completely automated, zero humans look at this stuff. Niantic is garbage.”
Expressing their views on Niantic removing these Routes, others responded, “Standard quality work from Niantic. They really suck at what they do,” and “Welcome to the Club. I already informed Niantic about the bad route management…”
According to Niantic, all Route submissions are placed under moderation and must be approved before going live. Furthermore, the Pokemon Go developer utilizes an “exhaustive review process,” to determine which Routes are viable.