Pokemon Go is improving in all the wrong places

Niantic revealed many changes and improvements coming to Pokemon Go in 2024, but some features haven’t changed in years despite numerous complaints.

Pokemon Go introduced new features in 2023, giving players the possibility to get powerful Shadow Pokemon through Shadow Raids, play with friends in Party Play, or get Zygarde Cells by exploring Routes.

Most players abandoned those features very quickly, as they failed to offer enticing rewards that were worth the grind.

On April 15, Niantic announced Rediscover Pokemon Go, which will improve the overall immersion of the game with new backgrounds, new customization options for avatars, and more. The exciting announcement was overshadowed by players who got these features early and hated the changes.

Fans who tried the new avatar customization options were horrified by the results, while those lucky enough to get the new catch backgrounds are having issues with their phone’s battery.

What’s strange is that Niantic have been rolling out other meaningful QoL changes that were praised by players, but these haven’t been officially announced. Players are discovering and sharing them on their own.

One player had as much to say in a Reddit post: “I’m kind of amused at how quietly they released the QOL improvements they’ve made lately that really did improve the game in a lot of ways compared to how they’re hyping this mostly cosmetic stuff that doesn’t seem like it adds a lot to gameplay for the amount of phone resources it uses.”

On the other hand, one of the improvements coming with Rediscover Pokemon Go is going to focus on Pokemon from Kanto, which have been around since Pokemon Go was originally released in July 2016. With many species missing, most of us are tired of Gen 1 Pokemon, or at least we don’t think they deserve the spotlight anymore.

Also, key features like Gyms and Eggs haven’t received changes in years. Trainers have shared ways these game mechanics can improve, but Niantic have yet to bring those forward. While they implemented changes to the Item Shop, Remote Raid Passes, and even Team Go Rocket Leaders, they left the Gym and Egg features untouched. Storage hasn’t improved either even after adding hundreds of Pokemon.

When Niantic’s decisions were heavily criticized by players, the devs argued that they knew exactly what the game needed. This led to certain trainers thinking Niantic might not listen to feedback, which could be disastrous for the new features that some players think are broken.

“I hope people who have issues with it are reporting it to support and also reaching out to them on Twitter or whatever. What’s the point of a phased roll out if you don’t collect meaningful feedback and act on it?” explained another Reddit user.

Pokemon Go is an entertaining experience for Pokemon fans, but the last couple of years haven’t been the best. As of April 2024, trainers are still waiting for a 2024 debut that isn’t blocked behind a paywall or a heavy grind. But it remains to be seen if Niantic plan to implement the changes players want to see.

Elite Raids and AR features brought widespread issues in the past, leading to growing anxiety among the player base as these new changes are rolled out.

We’ll keep you up to date with the latest Pokemon Go news to see how these improvements are received. In the meantime, you can check out how to get Vespiquen in Pokemon Go or everything we know about the leaked Fusion mechanic.