Niantic Will Allow Pokemon GO Players To Raid From Home

As stay at home orders become more common around the world, Niantic is tackling the restrictions affecting their AR games.

Niantic announced today that Pokemon GO Raid Battles will be one of the features from the game that will be altered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Raid Battles typically encourage players to gather in one spot to take down a powerful Pokemon but social distancing precautions make this difficult.

So Raid Battles will be receiving changes to allow players to work together without being in one location but we still do not know what those will look like.

This comes just a few days after changes made to gifts and Pokestops which now let players earn more Pokeballs and other Pokemon catching items such as incense that last double the normal time.

In their statement below, Niantic lists out all of the upcoming changes to their games which will still reward Pokemon Go trainers for exercise done at home.

While it’s impossible to predict when and how the situation with COVID-19 will evolve globally, we’re going to make the following changes to our games and live events:

• Exercise: you can track your steps indoor with Adventure Sync so activities like cleaning your house and running on a treadmill count toward game achievements. We’re going to make improvements to Adventure Sync so it works even better with indoor movement and activities.

• Social: we’re enhancing our in-game virtual social features to enable players to stay in touch when they can’t meet in real life. You’ll soon be able to team up with friends and take on Raid Battles together in Pokémon GO from the comfort of home.

• Explore: we’re also looking into how we can help players virtually visit and share memories about their favorite real-world places, until they can once again visit them in person.

• Live Events: we’re re-imagining what it means to participate in a Niantic live event this summer, and putting our creative energy towards bringing the excitement directly to your home. That means we’re working on an entirely new way to enjoy Pokémon GO Fest. More details coming soon!

What do you think about these changes? Let us know below.