As the world continues to adjust to the precautions that are necessary in many regions to help slow the spread of coronavirus, the gaming landscape is also being impacted. The ripples of the virus first hit gaming in the form of E3 2020's cancellation, but the hits keep on coming as many other gaming events that would've required in-person gatherings are cancelled, as well. Games like Pokemon GO are obviously having to make some major adjustments to stay relevant.
Although most video games are meant to be played indoors and are sort of perfect for long periods of social distancing or quarantine, mobile AR games like Pokemon GO are entirely built around the idea of getting out of the house and walking around. Beyond that, the game's most popular feature, Battle Raids, usually require teaming up with a group of people in person to take down a Legendary Pokemon together. In the age of social distancing, that's a big no-no.
So, is it even possible for a game like Pokemon GO to survive the social distancing recommendations that have been put into place around the world? In the short term, the answer seems to be yes. Obviously, many in-person events have had to be cancelled or postponed and that comes as a big blow to both the developers and fans of the game. March's Community Day has been indefinitely postponed and it won't be surprising to see similar precautions taken as we draw closer to the April Community Day event. That said, Pokemon GO is doing everything it can to make sure that the game becomes more playable than ever from the comfort of trainer's homes.
First off, the game's latest ticketed Special Research event, A Drive to Investigate, has been redesigned to work remotely. This means that players who purchase a ticket are able to complete all of the required quests without heading out of their houses to hatch eggs or complete in high-level Battle Raids that would require travel around towns and coordinating with other players. This change seemed to go over very well with the community and the ticketed event has been a big hit. Although Niantic hasn't shared any of the numbers yet, it would be very interesting to see how ticket sales were for A Drive to investigate versus the Colossal Discovery Special Event from late 2019.
In addition to the changes to the Genesect Special Research event, the day-to-day grind of Pokemon GO has also been adjusted to make sure that social distancing hasn't made it impossible to play the game. These updates were a welcome change and have successfully made it so that even players in the most remote rural areas should still be able to put in some play on a daily basis until the world eventually settles back into a normal routine.
Temporary Bonuses
A one-time purchase bundle of 30 Incense for 1 PokéCoin. Incense will also last for one hour
1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during this time period
PokéStops will now drop Gifts more frequently
Pokemon habitats will increase and more Pokemon will be appearing in the wild
The increase in spawns combined with the changes to Incense have made playing from home a much more enjoyable experience over the last week. It will be interesting to continue to monitor Niantic's response to global events and see how long these bonuses remain in place or if additional Incense bundles will be offered at a discounted rate in the near future.
As expected, Niantic's response to the coronavirus for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has been very similar. The Wizards Unite Community Day for March was also postponed and a similar list of temporary bonuses was added to the game for the foreseeable future. The following updates are now live in Wizards Unite, until further notice:
Tonic for Trace Detection will reveal Traces more frequently; 30 Traces per Tonic
Tonic for Trace Detection will have Master Notes effectiveness increased from 15% to 50%
Ingredients will appear on the Map more frequently, especially those needed for Tonic for Trace Detection
Traces will appear on the Map more frequently
Spell Energy will appear on the Map
A free store bundle will be available in the Diagon Alley shop featuring 4 Tonics for Trace Detection
The amount of Gifts that can be opened each day will be increased from 10 to 20
Brewing Tonic for Trace Detection will take 3.5 hours with Master Notes
Hopefully the world is able to "flatten the curve" in many regions in the coming month and outdoor activities and gatherings begin to take place again this summer. For now, we're still in a wait and see situation though, so Niantic will likely continue to make adjustments to its summer plans for its line of mobile AR games as the situation continues to develop. For now, players seem happy enough to play with the at-home bonuses active, but if things carry on for another month or longer, the devs will likely need to come with with some additional motivation to keep players logging in.
For now, players may want to keep hunting down the best Unova Pokemon in the game if improving their Battle Raid rosters is their primary goal. Be sure to check back in the near future for more Pokemon GO strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, good luck out there, trainers!
Pokemon GO is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.