The backlash following Niantic's proposed post-pandemic changes to Pokemon Go has been so fierce, the company's senior marketing manager has deleted their Twitter account.
Niantic announced this week that as the world tries to return to normal, some of the features it introduced to Pokemon Go during the pandemic will be rolled back. Most notably the expanded radiuses of Pokestops and Gyms which has allowed trainers to access them from further away. That and other rollbacks slated to take effect next month has angered quite a few of those to have taken advantage of them during the past year.
Pokemon Go players have been vocalizing their concerns in a number of ways, including social media activity and even a petition. However, as is often the case with social media, a select few have sought out individual employees and vented their frustrations to them directly. That has resulted in at least one person from Niantic deleting their Twitter account.
The studio's senior marketing manager Liz George can no longer be found on Twitter. Close friend Chaka Explains It All, as they're known on Twitter, revealed why George felt the need to leave Twitter in a series of tweets. Chaka is the social marketing manager for Google Stadia.
"A friend/former colleague/fellow gaming Social/Community Manager was harassed right off the internet today... I hope everyone involved in making this happen is proud of themselves," Chaka tweeted. At this time, George's account remains inactive. It's unclear what sort of messages they were being sent that caused them to deactivate their account other than they were linked to the proposed Pokemon Go changes.
There are a couple of reasons the changes have whipped up so much backlash from the Pokemon Go community. Some think the pandemic hasn't reached a point where interactions with fellow trainers should be encouraged. Those who live in rural areas have had their Pokemon Go playing experience enhanced by the changes, likely hoping they'd be in place for good. Needless to say, if you want Niantic to make a u-turn and keep the changes, harassing its employees isn't the right way to get it done.