Task Force Update

Announced September 1st at 10:00 a.m. PT

As promised, Niantic has released the results of their internal task force's analysis on the recent changes to (and removal of) certain "bonuses" from the game in some parts of the world. The letter, from Executive Producer Steve Wang and the Pokémon GO team, addresses the following:

What They Heard from the Community

Niantic gathered player feedback, as well as hosting discussions with global Pokémon GO community leaders. They heard two major themes in these conversations: The extended 80m interaction distance for PokéStops and Gyms greatly improved gameplay, and players expect more communication from Niantic.

PokéStop and Gym Interaction Distance

The interaction distance for PokéStops and Gyms was returned to 80m globally, and will remain that way permanently. While Niantic wants to encourage interaction with real-world locations, they are working on new ways to do so.

Seasonal Global Bonuses

Rather than having different bonuses in different regions, all bonuses will now be global and linked to in-game Seasons. Details on the updated bonuses can be found here.

Communication

• Niantic has committed to make the following improvements to communication with Pokémon GO Trainers:

• Bimonthly "Developer Diaries" starting in October to share in-game priorities, events, and features with players

• Regular conversations with Pokémon GO community leaders

• The Known Issues page will be updated to bring more visibility to the status of currently identified bugs in the game

The letter can be read in full on the official Pokémon GO blog.