Why Pokémon GO Changed Community Day Despite Backlash
An interview with the director of Pokémon GO explains why the Community Day hours were changed from six hours to three, in spite of player backlash. This change to Community Days has garnered lots of negative feedback from fans that want it reverted back to six hours. The first Community Day to implement this change will be Stufful’s Community Day in April.
2020 saw a massive number of changes for Pokémon GO, including doubling the length of Community Days from three hours to six, to account for players staying at home. But the stay-at-home bonuses initially introduced within the first quarter of 2020 have been gradually rolled back in line with pandemic restrictions. The announcement of April 2022’s Pokémon GO Community Day included the reversal of this change back to three hours, upsetting many. Some of the criticisms were that this restricts the amount of free time players can access Pokémon GO Community Days.
In an interview with Kotaku, Pokémon GO live game director Michael Steranka explained why the game's six-hour Community Days have been reduced to three. Steranka stated that the reason is due to wanting players to get out at the same time to socialize and exercise. Kotaku noted that Steranka wants to have the sense of “organic discovery of players around you,” in a similar vein to the game’s early days. Steranka also elaborated that Niantic’s incentive for this change revolved around its core messages:
“First is exploration, the second is exercise, and the third is real-world social interactions. In terms of what we gain, it’s really us intending to lean into that.”
The upcoming Pokémon GO Stufful Community Day doesn't only mark the return of three-hour events, but also continues to introduce Pokémon from the Alola region. Alolans are steadily being added into the game, and Stufful will be the latest addition to the roster when it debuts on April 23. When caught and evolved during the Community Day, the special move it will learn will be Drain Punch. As with every Community Day, there will also be an increased chance of encountering a Shiny Stufful.
Despite the reasoning for the Pokémon GO Community Day change, it could still be argued that this limitation is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can indeed encourage players to go outside in a more condensed time frame, getting in exercise and possibly making new friends within the community. Players have done activities like making treats for other Pokémon GO fans, making socializing more fun. On the other hand, it still restricts when players can participate in Community Days by creating a less flexible schedule, and not all players are free during the specific hours of these events. Not to mention the global pandemic is still preventing many players from going outside, and the shorter hours also make things harder for disabled gamers. Only time will tell if Niantic plans to reverse its controversial Pokémon GO decision, but for now, it looks unlikely.
Pokémon GO is available on mobile devices.
Source: Kotaku