What Happened to Pokémon Go: The Rise and Fall of an Icon
Pokémon Gone: How Greed, Wokeness, and Tone-Deaf Decisions Killed the Hype
Once upon a time in July 2016, Pokémon GO exploded into the world like a Charizard with anger issues. Nerds, normies, boomers, college kids, and TikTokers alike were out in the streets chasing digital creatures. It was more than a game—it was a movement.
In its first month, Pokémon GO had over 28.5 million daily active users in the U.S. alone, and raked in $207 million in revenue, according to Sensor Tower. It was the closest thing we had to a real-world Pokémon journey.
And for a while, it was pure magic.
But fast forward to today, and we’re watching a masterclass in how to take one of the most beloved franchises ever and run it into the dirt.
2016 to 2018: The Pokémon Go-lden Era
The early years of Pokémon GO were chaotic but filled with promise. Sure, the app crashed constantly, and you had a better chance of seeing a unicorn than a working tracker system, but the community carried it on their backs.
Image Source: Pixabay | TAMHSCPhotos
Even with limited features, players logged 4.6 billion kilometers in its first six months, according to Niantic’s own reports. That’s wild. Real-world exercise, spontaneous meetups, neighborhood exploration—it was like Pokémon grew up and moved out of the Game Boy into real life.
And then, slowly but surely, the monetization creeped in like a Haunter in a cemetery.
Gotta Charge 'Em All: The Microtransaction Spiral
What started as a relatively chill free-to-play model turned into a buffet of overpriced bundles and pay-to-progress events.
Players began noticing that event boxes offered worse value than before, and many felt that Niantic was slowly turning a social adventure game into a full-blown gacha trap.
Image Source: Pokémon Go | Niantic
You want to enjoy GO Fest? That’ll be $15. Want extra bonuses during Community Day? Better cough up another $1. Exclusive spawns locked behind ticketed research? You guessed it: open that wallet, trainer.
According to Sensor Tower, Pokémon GO has grossed over $6 billion in lifetime revenue, but the player experience? That’s been steadily declining since Niantic realized how many people would pay $0.99 to just spin another damn PokéStop.
Remote Raids: Niantic’s Big Self-Sabotage
Let’s talk about the controversy: Remote Raid Passes.
Introduced during the pandemic, they were the best thing to happen to the game since Incense boosts. Disabled players, rural folks, parents with kids, and introverts who don’t want to LARP in public all finally had access to the game’s endgame content.
And then, Niantic, in all their infinite wisdom, decided to nerf the feature into oblivion.
They jacked up the price, limited usage to five per day, and served it all up with a smug, faux-wholesome message about “encouraging exploration.”
Translation: “We know you love this feature, so we’re going to ruin it for your own good.”
Community backlash was immediate and massive. A Change.org petition titled “Save Remote Raids” gathered over 100,000 signatures. Entire Reddit threads and Discords erupted in rage.
Prominent Pokémon Go creators like ZoeTwoDots and Trainer Tips openly criticized the company, with some even pausing content creation altogether.
But Niantic held the line—like a stubborn Gym defender.
The Avatar Redesign That Nobody Asked For
Let’s take a moment to pour one out for our original avatars—the customizable ones that actually felt like people.
In 2024, Niantic pushed a forced update that completely overhauled the in-game avatar system. Promoted as a win for woke inclusivity and Reddit social justice warriors, the new models removed facial customization options, erased popular hairstyles, and introduced a stiff, uncanny look that made players feel like extras from The Sims Mobile.
And no, you couldn’t opt out. You booted up the app and boom—new character, new rules, and no way back.
Players across the identity spectrum weren’t impressed. One Reddit user put it perfectly:
“Niantic removed what little agency we had over our avatars and replaced it with a one-size-fits-none system.”
Unwelcome inclusivity should mean more options, not fewer. Instead, Niantic managed to alienate both old and new players with a change that felt more like a they/them press release checkbox than an actual improvement.
And unsurprisingly, these sexually androgynous character models are all that’s left to this very day.
Image Source: TwistedVoxel | Muhammad Ali Bari
PR Disasters & Community Alienation
Niantic has turned dodging accountability into an Olympic sport.
Whether it’s tone-deaf blog posts, delayed features, or empty “we hear you” responses, the company’s communication strategy is basically “ghost them and hope they forget.”
Thanks for all the feedback! I appreciate the critical thoughts (both the good and the bad), and I've circulated it back to the team. Shutting replies off on that post for now! https://t.co/B23NtJsT39
— MXRIOT (hiatus) (@MxKestrel) April 19, 2024
Image Source: MXRIOT | Woke Community Manager for Pokémon Go
Let’s not forget when players asked for more meaningful updates to PvP—what did we get instead? Stickers. Lots of stickers. And a Pikachu with a funny hat.
This isn’t just tone-deaf—it’s deliberate.
Niantic’s stubborn refusal to listen to the community is clear: in my opinion, they see us more as a wallet than a player base and Pokémon Go is their propaganda machine.
In-Game Events: From Epic to Embarrassing
Remember the original GO Fest in Chicago? Yeah, the one where thousands of people paid to attend, and the game didn’t work? That embarrassment cost them a lawsuit and refunds. You’d think they’d learn, right?
Wrong.
Event after event has been plagued with server issues, recycled content, and hollow promises. Special Research quests feel copy-pasted. Spawn pools are bloated with filler. Raid bosses are re-released so often, it feels like the devs are playing a roulette wheel.
One player tweeted during the recent “Season of Legends” event:
“This season is so legendary that I forgot it was happening.”
Oof.
The Cheater Dilemma: Ban the Wrong, Ignore the Obvious
Pokémon GO has always had a cheating issue. But while spoofers, bot farms, and GPS hackers still roam free, Niantic’s anti-cheat system often punishes legit players for things like GPS drift, network lag, or using certain devices.
Image Source: Pixabay | laterjay
Meanwhile, spoofing YouTubers openly post content from places they clearly don’t live, and Niantic looks the other way. Their response? “We’re looking into it.”
Spoiler alert: they don’t ever seem to actually do anything.
The Exodus Is Real: Players Are Bouncing
The damage is already done. According to ActivePlayer.io, Pokémon GO’s monthly active users dropped from 81 million in 2021 to under 60 million in 2024.
That’s a massive hit for a game that once ruled the world.
Reddit traffic is down. Discord servers are dead. Streamers have jumped ship to games like Monster Hunter Now or Palworld. And all the while, Niantic keeps recycling the same stale formula.
Pokémon GO-ed Off the Rails
Let’s be real—Pokémon GO could’ve been the defining mobile game of the decade. It had the IP, the tech, the players, and the momentum.
But somewhere along the line, Niantic decided that chasing short-term profits, bolting on performative wokeness, and ignoring feedback was the better route.
It’s not that people hate Pokémon. It’s that they hate what Pokémon GO has become: a predatory, tone-deaf shadow of its former self.
Image Source: Pixabay | Roksana96
The worst part? The core concept still slaps.
The idea of exploring the real world and catching Pokémon is timeless. But until Niantic decides to stop gaslighting its community and start respecting them, Pokémon GO will keep fading into irrelevance.
So yeah. The game’s still online—but let’s not pretend it’s still alive.
Let me know what you think in the comments below and make sure to share with your fellow trainers-in-exile!
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Pikachu
April 16, 2025
I loooved Pokemon go when it came out *don’t judge* but that shit fell off hard
Ayefkay
April 17, 2025
Lol I think we all did, no judgement here! Thanks for stopping by!
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April 18, 2025
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