Pokémon Go maker Niantic has announced a set of changes to Remote Raid gameplay, in a bid to rebalance a lockdown-era feature it says has grown to overly dominate the app's economy and game balance.
Beginning next Thursday, 6th April, players will be limited to a cap of five Remote Raids per day (though this cap may change and increase for certain events). The cost of Remote Raid passes will also increase from 100 to 195 coins, or from 300 to 525 for a pack of three (though with a possibility to receive one free as part of the game's weekly rewards). To counteract some of this, a discounted three-pack of in-person raid passes will be added to the game's shop, while the endgame XL Candy resource will be made more abundant from in-person raids.
These are changes designed to nudge players away from Remote Raids, and seem likely to spark a strong reaction from some of Pokémon Go's many fans - in particular, those who previously campaigned against the disappearance of the app's many lockdown-era bonuses which made the game easier to play. Again, these changes seem to place the reality of how some fans want to play Pokémon Go in opposition to the vision set out by its creator Niantic. So, why was Niantic so sure these changes were necessary? And if this is the stick, where exactly is the carrot?