Pokemon Go trainers slam Niantic for “ridiculous” Wayfarer bans
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Go players call foul on Wayfarer bans targeting trainers for submitting PokeStop nominations that don’t fit Niantic’s criteria.
Niantic introduced the Wayfarer tool in late 2019, offering a mapping program driven by community contributions. The tool works such that participants can nominate new real-world PokeStops for review.
Players have noticed a problem in recent weeks, however. Most notably, Niantic started issuing 30-day bans on Wayfarer and POGO accounts for anyone who violates the Terms of Service by “submitting nominations that do not meet [the company’s] criteria.”
User reports indicate the ban hammer works retroactively, even going after older submissions. Needless to say, much of the Pokemon Go community is floored by the news.
Pokemon Go fans call out Niantic’s “ridiculous” Wayfarer bans
Redditor Enough-Dirt8639 recently shared a meme poking fun at Niantic for suspending players who submit a “poor PokeStop.”
Some users in the thread took issue with the claim, arguing that Niantic’s only targeting “people [who’ve been] caught abusing the Wayfarer system to set up bogus spots.”
While bad actors have suffered suspension, there are examples of innocent community members being hit with bans.
YouTuber ZyoniK shined a light on a few of these examples in a video about Niantic suspending “normal players.” For instance, one trainer created a 3K Route that marked the start of a local trail. Their fellow players seemed to enjoy the new addition. The ban-related email the trainer received from Niantic suggests the developer isn’t happy for some reason.
As the YouTuber notes, the thought of PokeStops not fitting within Niantic’s criteria occupies a gray area, especially since the parameters of said criteria are nebulous. Does this mean Wayfarer bans will apply to Pokemon Go users who submit stops rejected by the community? That much remains a mystery.
One person wrote in the aforementioned Reddit thread, “I’ve seen s**t like this over the past year, and it’s kept me from ever touching wayfarer and submitting stops.”
Meanwhile, others are surprised by Niantic going after trainers “trying to improve their game.” Evidently, the friction between developers and the community continues unabated.