Niantic & Pokemon Proactive amidst Coronavirus Lockdown
We all know Pokemon Go is the best augmented reality mobile game that is currently available on the market. The game’s base is set on going out and catching all the Pokemon there are, combining the idea of exercising and fitness with fun and entertainment and it has been one of the highest-grossing games in the past few years.
But in the light of recent events and COVID-19 pandemic causing havoc across the world, all the major & some minor countries have announced a lockdown barring people to go out and of course, consequentially catch Pokemon. Niantic recognizing the effect of this on their game and a good foresight starting updating their game early March to counter the budding situation.
The steps they took to make a very social game viable in lockdown were commendable. The Incense packs and Pokeballs are sold at the stores at almost no-cost rates, finding and catching Pokemon is majorly easier and you can keep up to 20 gifts and open 30 gifts per day. All these changes are made to make the game a more solitary experience.
Niantic has realized that the demand for their game has actually increased rather than decreased because a lot of people have free time in their home, incentivizing game mechanics to draw in players makes a lot of sense for them.
Recently, Ryan Mac, a BuzzFeed reporter shared an image on Twitter, the image had a redacted bio of Pokemon Go Official account, which confirms their strategy moving forward as we can expect even more changes to counter the lockdown situation.
The saddest Twitter bio change pic.twitter.com/WEA1kcrHiS
— Ryan Mac? (@RMac18) March 27, 2020
A lot of threads with the Niantic support are popping up, where the players have suggested changes and Niantic have responded by acknowledging their demand and saying that they are working on adjustments.
For now, you can enjoy increased monster spawns, 3X Stardust and XP for your first catch of the day and 1 Pokecoin bundle will be available in the shop for purchases.
Stay Inside and Play safe!