Pokémon Go players praise Niantic on biome update in a rare win for developer

Niantic has released an update that fans have always wanted.

A Pokemon Go avatar stepping through a large door.
Image via Niantic

Many changes to Pokémon Go have not been the best, and the community has repeatedly spoken out about how they feel about them to developer Niantic. The latest biome update, though, has been much more positive, and it’s a rare win for the team.

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The biome update was added today alongside the surprise Rediscover Kanto event. Many Kanto Pokémon have a higher chance to appear in specific parts of the wild, and it all comes down to the particular biomes you can encounter in Pokémon Go. The new system has been praised by players as a gorgeous update, making the overall visuals much more appealing and giving it a fresh feeling when players go to catch a Pokémon.

Catching a Muk in Pokémon Go
The background visuals change based on your biome in Pokémon Go. Screenshot by Dot Esports

A recent thread on The Silph Road subreddit has had many players sharing their experiences with the biome update in Pokémon Go. Although it’s only been a few hours, many fans are sharing their renewed interest in jumping into the game.

“I think it looks really nice! Makes the map a lot more alive,” one community member, SleepyPig3, wrote. The visual update only appears when players click on a Pokémon in the overworld and zoom in to catch it. They’re treated to an updated interface with moving visuals that reflect the biome and the season.

Given the lackluster and broken release of the other update to the Pokémon Go avatars, these remarks are a welcome change for the community. Many have likely been waiting to say something positive about Niantic change and gush about it. While this is primarily a win for Niantic, there are some negative things, such as one player sharing that this has been an update they’ve wanted for years. However, they added that it “would be nice if the different biomes were identifiable on the map like they had with the HP Wizards.”

Although the Pokémon Go avatar update might have been rushed, this one feels slightly more polished. Still, some players have shared they’re encountering framerate drops and struggling to attempt to throw a Poké Ball. Hopefully, these are minor outliers for Niantic, and they address these issues over the next few weeks. Overall, it feels like a positive win for Niantic. I hope the team takes community feedback seriously in future updates or further plans to update Pokémon Go.

Author
Image of Zack Palm
Zack Palm
Zack Palm has been writing about video games for the past five years. He spends his free time trying to learn about a new board, reading high-fantasy series, or working on his latest DnD character.