Niantic continues to take its fanbase for granted as the new Pokémon GO Rising Shadows event won’t let Remote Raid Pass owners even participate.
While this doesn’t mean much to players who live in bigger cities, those in rural areas will be forced to miss out on the new Shadow Pokémon appearing in the game.
According to the game’s official website, the Rising Shadows event will take place from May 22 to 28 and will give players the chance to catch “Shadow” Pokémon. This means Pokémon with red eyes and a purple aura but that doesn’t mean they’re bad, especially with favorites like Shadow Mewtwo in the fray.
However, limiting this to in-person Pokémon GO raids and not giving Remote Raid Pass owners a bone is pretty head-scratching. Not everyone can go to the landmarks this game wants them to go in, whether its due to distance, physical disabilities, or any other excuse. Just removing these fans from the equation entirely feels mean.
On why Remote Raid Passes can’t be used, Niantic previously said that owners of these items were exploiting them and getting stronger Pokémon than everyone else. Granted, that is an issue for those that participate in PvP but those aren’t the majority. Now, users who can’t go out or don’t want to travel too far will feel left out.
Unfortunately, this is just typical Niantic behavior these days, as the company has consistently made bad business practices for Pokémon GO over the years. The Remote Raid Passes we mentioned got a price increase not too long ago. We’ve also seen the company make the Gym Battles worse for players, forcing them to buy more in-game items with real money.
It really is a shame to see what this app has become in recent years, especially when compared to how the game started. Sure, the barebones catching approach should have been addressed quicker, but it didn’t feel as greedy as it does now.
Read More: Pokémon GO finally adds the Master Ball, but players don’t trust Niantic
Curious fans can try out Pokémon GO on their smartphones now. Fans in need of their Pokéfix should just buy a Switch and some of its games.