Niantic will soon remove several adjustments made to Pokémon GO that made the game more accessible amidst the global lockdown. It will also keep others that have proved popular with trainers.
In an announcement on the AR game's official website, the three areas of change are explained in full. They involve new exploration bonuses to encourage people to get outside again. Incoming changes include incense effectiveness returning to the standard level and a reduction in the number of Gifts brought to trainers by their Buddies. The distance for interacting with Gyms and PokéStops will also revert to their original settings. The importance of Remote Raids has been acknowledged and Niantic is working on how they will be integrated with the return of EX Raids.
The new bonuses based on walking around outside again will be tested out at the end of July and conclude on Sept. 1. They include free Raid Passes from spinning Gym Photo Discs and guaranteed gifts when spinning PokéStops. These new bonuses will be applied to other regions once it is safe to do so.
All planned changes will only take effect in July, after Pokémon GO Fest. Certain pandemic-based bonuses will first be removed in the United States and New Zealand, followed by other regions. The bonuses that will remain, like first catch boosts, will follow the same schedule.
Niantic confirmed that certain bonuses will remain in the game as they, "resonated well with our Trainers and will provide continued value." Some of these adjustments include the increased duration of Incense when on the move, the slots for Gifts in the Item Bag remaining at 20, the triple bonus on Stardust and XP for the first Pokémon catch of the day and no walking requirements for GO Battle League.
The slow rollout of the changes is partly in place so Niantic can continue to monitor the changes in the rapidly changing pandemic situation and make sure each change is enacted when it is considered safe by each region.
Pokémon GO is available for free on Android and iOS.
Source: Niantic
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