The Pokemon Go community has banded together to protest the impending Remote Raid changes causing #HearUsNiantic to hit the trending page on Twitter.
Niantic announced potentially one of its most controversial updates on March 30, letting players know that Remote Raid passes would now have a daily limit alongside a price hike, making them cost almost double their original price.
The Remote Raid changes wouldn’t go into effect until April 6, but players didn’t wait long to show their opposition. A boycott was planned almost immediately, and trainers started a petition that now has almost 60k signatures.
But Niantic has remained silent on the community’s response over the last five days. Now, a group of prominent members from the Pokemon Go community have started to protest on Twitter, resulting in their cause making it to the site’s trending tab.
Why is #HearUsNiantic trending?
The trending hashtag – #HearUsNiantic – has been used by many trainers over the last few days, but it wouldn’t be until April 4 that it would start to gain traction. At 10 AM EST, a tweet containing a statement from the Pokemon Go community was published by PokeMiners, and that statement would be shared by thousands of others.
We are supporting the community once again with #HearUsNiantic. The recent raid changes announced by @NianticLabs for @Pokemon GO are nothing short of disastrous for the future of the game and the community. Please read our letter and see https://t.co/d3ysHNQtPI. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/wPTZW8oAjS
— PokeMiners (@poke_miners) April 4, 2023
The statement reads: “We are writing to you on behalf of your customers (the Pokémon GO Community). We want to start off by letting you know that we love Pokémon GO. Not just GO, but the Pokémon franchise in general. We are and always will be passionate, loyal and vocal about our thoughts and concerns. We want Pokémon GO to succeed, and we want to be able to play this game (the game we love) for years to come.
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“Unfortunately, we, as a whole, feel unheard. Time and time again, our questions go unanswered; Our concerns are not addressed; And most importantly our needs are not taken into proper consideration.As of now, we are specifically referring to the April 6 remote raid pass update. We do not agree with your decision, and the majority of us want you to know that “Limiting Remote Raids to 5 passes per day” will harm:”
The statement went on to list those who would be affected negatively when the April 6 Remote Raid update is enacted.
- Rural trainers who lack adequate local community support
- Trainers with disabilities who physically cannot get outside to play
- Trainers who have severe social anxiety who struggle mentally to get outside to participate inin-person raids
- Trainers who work night shifts and cannot participate during the day
- Single-parent trainers who are managing children, a household, and a career with minimal time to spare
It went on to list ways Niantic could encourage players to participate in in-person Raids and events without taking away from players who physically can not. These included guaranteed Raid candies, increased lucky friend odds during first-time in-person raid interaction, and premium rewards.
“Every form of trainer has EQUAL and EVERY right to play and enjoy Pokémon GO,” the Pokemon Go community wrote. “These communities are unique, special, and one of a kind. And we know from the bottom of our hearts that there is equal room to have both types of communities flourish simultaneously.”