Pokemon Go taskforce gives a big update on what’s changing

Niantic has finally shared the findings of its newly-appointed Pokemon Go “task force” following backlash from fans over gameplay changes, communication issues, and more.

In August, Pokemon Go players were outraged when Niantic reversed the Exploration Bonus that gave Gyms and PokeStops a closer interaction distance due. The community was so angry by the change, they boycotted the game entirely, calling the movement “Pokemon NO Day.”

This caused the developer to apologize by setting up a “task force” to look into the issues players had with the mobile title. On August 25, the developer revealed that it was putting the Bonus back in place, and promised to share its findings on September 1. That day is now here.

Upcoming Pokemon Go changes

“Our internal task force has spent a lot of time discussing the changes we made to the PokéStop and Gym interaction distances,” Steve Wang,  Niantic’s Executive Producer began in a blog post. “…Pokémon GO is important to many people, and it means Trainers expressed their concerns because they care about the game.”

He addressed the concerns over the lack of communication between the developer and players and reiterated the fact that the 40m base interaction distance for PokeStops and Gyms will be doubled to 80m permanently. Wang also revealed that “new ideas to explore” will be shared “in the coming months.”

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Bonuses will also be tied to Seasons, with the recent Season of Mischief bringing 3x bonus XP for spinning PokeStops for the first time, 2x Lure duration, increased Incense effectiveness, guaranteed Gifts from PokeStops, and more.

The Executive Producer also shared that they will be releasing a “developer diary” every other month to keep the communication open between fans and the team, as well as have “regular conversations” with community leaders.

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Wang ended the blog post by acknowledging Niantic’s faults with keeping players in the dark, and promised, again, to keep Trainers informed. “The lack of communication regarding the PokéStop and Gym interaction radius was not handled well on our part, and it was a great learning experience on how to better engage with our players moving forward.”