Pokemon Go trainer’s gym battle ends in disaster as Niantic closes it

James Busby
Pokemon Go Gym

Pokemon Go gym raids are a place where trainers can flex their might over other players and different ‘mon, but one unlucky trainer had a victory stolen away by Niantic themself. 

Gym battles have always been a big part of the Pokemon series and this is especially true in the augmented reality mobile game, Pokemon Go. These real-world gyms are notoriously competitive and beating the creatures within them can be incredibly difficult. Even if you do manage to successfully take down your fearsome foes, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to hold the gym. 

With competition fierce and the odds always stacked against you, there’s a reason why so many fans are constantly looking for new ways to gain a competitive edge. However, one unlucky trainer found that even their loyal team of well-trained ‘mon couldn’t withstand the might of Niantic themselves. 

Pokemon Go gym battle disappointment

Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go Gym Raids are notoriously competitive.

“I did a Snorlax raid with my family and a few friends,” said TheOfficeRevisited. “While trying to catch the Snorlax all of our accounts were seeing him pop out immediately, then it would kick us back to the map and say ‘Pokémon not found’. We would click on the gym, go back to the catch screen, waste another Golden Razz, try again, get kicked again.”

Something was definitely wrong and despite the player’s best efforts, the gym wouldn’t let them back in. Amidst the frustration and many Golden Razz Berries, the trainers were finally met with the following message: “Gyms are under construction”.

Pokemon Go raid
It’s not every day that you see a gym just disappear.

“Our maps were locked up, you couldn’t see your profile or any of the other widgets, said TheOfficeRevisited. “So we had to restart. And the gym was gone. They deleted it while we were raiding and cost us a bunch of Golden Razz, our raid passes, and all Snorlaxes.” It’s clear all those involved were incredibly frustrated, especially given how many resources were wasted trying to defeat Snorlax. 

According to the Reddit user, the removal of the gym was due to a local business closing down, which appeared to remove its gym location from the game. “I just don’t understand why they remove things during the day rather than at night,” said TheOfficeRevisited.

This sentiment would certainly help alleviate the issues that come with a gym closure, but whether Niantic will make any adjustments in the way it handles these Pokemon gym issues remains to be seen.