Niantic Faces Backlash Over Latest Avatar Updates on Pokémon GO
The gaming community expresses disappointment with the recent changes
Pretty much every change Niantic makes to Pokémon GO results in enormous backlash from its vast community of players. That’s usually because pretty much every change Niantic makes to Pokémon GO is disastrous and stupid. The latest is a new avatar creator, and guess what.
Anticipated significant in-game changes lead to disappointment
Obviously everyone hates change, and so player reactions to any change in any game tend to be negative. But sometimes changes are just objectively poor, and that seems to be the case with the avatar updates for POGO. I mean, the fact that every character now looks like it’s straddling an imaginary traffic cone certainly doesn’t help.
Limited options and poor design disappoint players
The majority of issues people have are focused around what might at first seem like a progressive change: the removal of gender options. You can no longer choose between being male or female, instead having all head, body, and hair options put together. Great, right? That’s far more inclusive, and only the wahhiest crybaby would struggle to just pick the one that matches their own preference from the list. Oh, except in doing this, Niantic has replaced what was already there with a bunch of androgynous body-type options, a weird middle-ground compromise that offers far less variety. You can now be fat or thin, but that’s about it.
Hair options are especially dreadful, with nothing representing just a generic short hair style, and all options beyond “short” contradict the neutral body options with overtly female-styled designs. And while there are many and varied skin-tones to choose from (although, if you’re white, expect to now be anemic), it’s miserable when it comes to hair options for people of color. It’s what you’d expect of a shitty off-brand MMO, not one of the biggest mobile games in the world.
Many are upset by how the changes have affected the face of an avatar they’ve enjoyed for the last seven years. Faces can look weirdly stretched, eyes peculiarly far apart (with nothing even close to a slider for such a setting).
Outrage and disappointment flood social media platforms
“Horrible update, everyone’s avatars look more childish and rounded. The options for the face are terrible too I can’t even….” said one player on a Pokémon forum.
“I wasn’t expecting coming out of the update more beautiful than before, but damn, wtf did they do to me?” added another player.
Meanwhile, on social media platforms, users expressed their dissatisfaction with the changes. One player posted a before-and-after comparison of their avatar, asking, “How did they manage to whitewash a white man?”
Content creator suggests strategy for evading the changes
Pokémon GO content creator ZyoniK has come up with a handy set of tips for evading the changes. In his Twitter thread, ZyoniK demonstrates how ensuring you’re on Team Instinct means you can pick a costume that comes with a mask, glasses, and a hat that almost entirely obscures your face.
Players are using various tactics to minimize the negative impact of the avatar updates, but the overall sentiment remains one of frustration and disappointment.
Looking ahead, what’s next for Pokémon GO and Niantic?
As Niantic continues to make changes to Pokémon GO, the pressure continues to build for the company to listen to its player base and address the concerns and disappointments expressed.
Will Niantic take the feedback to heart and make the necessary adjustments, or will players have to contend with subpar updates and design choices? Only time will tell.
