Pokemon Go players turn to birdwatching in midst of Remote Raid change boycott

Pokemon Go players are turning to birdwatching during their boycott following the controversial Remote Raid changes.

After weeks of rumors, Pokemon Go developer Niantic announced a nerf on the amount of Remote Raid battles you can do daily while almost doubling the price of the accompanying passes.

Trainers quickly organized the #HearUsNiantic protest online, with some going as far as deleting the game for good.

Since the boycott began, players have turned to birdwatching as a way to spend their time instead of playing the popular mobile game.

Pokemon Go players swap monster catching for birdwatching

On April 10, 2023, Redditor StarrySky762 posted on the Pokemon Go subreddit that they’ve been spending their time bird-watching, and they’re not the only ones doing so.

The user also shared points on how similar the two hobbies are.

• Has a treasure hunt aspect (never know what you’ll find) and can easily turn into shiny hunting (ie looking through a hundred Canada geese for an oddball Cackling goose)
• Diverse/high turnover spawn rates, with plenty of regional-exclusives lol
• Can do it anywhere, sitting, walking, and provides an extra reason to explore any local park or public space
• It’s like a constant game of Who’s That Pokemon!
• Birds, like Pokémon, are also not real 😉

“Anyways, feeling for everyone while Niantic continues to majorly drop the ball,” they added.

“Wanted to share this idea in case anyone is looking for out-of-the-box alternatives and is curious about following in the footsteps of Falkner, Winona, and all the other bird trainers lol – enjoy!”

As the post gained traction, others made it clear that the OP wasn’t alone in taking up the hobby amid the Pokemon Go boycott.

“The “Merlin” app by Cornell University is great if you hear birds but can’t see them. They use sound recording to identify birds,” one user said.

Another commented: “I’ve taken to feeding my hummers, small birds, a couple of turkeys, and one squirrel. Not full-time feeding except the hummers till my yard wakes up this year. The rest I have food on hand if I see them hunting around the yard. It does take the edge off not playing as much.”

Since the Remote Raid nerf, users have reported that in-person raids have become “impossible” as others have simply called out Niantic for ruining the game.