Last week, developer Niantic rolled out a new update for its instant hit AR game "Pokémon Go." However, the new update did not sit well with hardcore players as it completely deactivates third-party tracking apps for the game.
Prior to the update, Niantic featured a "Nearby" tracking option, letting players know when Pokémon are near their location with a "steps" display – the number of steps corresponds to how close the Pokémon is. However, the feature is a hit-and-miss for some hardcore fans, prompting some enterprising players to create their own, third-party app add-ons using Niantic data.
With the new update rolling out last week, Niantic has shut down both the "steps" feature and using third-party apps for tracking in "Pokémon GO," making it harder for players to trace the creatures. The most popular tracking app for players, PokémonVision, has already stated that the app will be inactive indefinitely, and other popular tracking apps have already been shut down from the game. Reportedly, one of the charges against these third-party apps is a violation of the terms of service for Niantic, since these apps collect data straight from "Pokémon GO" servers.
However, the crackdown did not come as a surprise. According to Forbes, Niantic CEO John Hanke has hinted before that he is not a fan of the tracking services, since "People are only hurting themselves because it takes some fun out of the game," and that a shutdown is coming. Hanke stated, "People are hacking around trying to take data out of our system and that's against our terms of service."
"Pokémon GO" has been an instant from the moment it released, going global in just a matter of days. However, it seems that Niantic has not anticipated how popular the game will be, as its birthing pains include server crashes and some game-related issues. Meanwhile, the studio has to dial back its staggered release, and some regions are still waiting for the official game to go live in their areas.
