Pokémon Go director Michael Steranka has this week assured players he and his team are aware of the frustration aimed at their decisions as of late, are seeing the feedback, and are thinking of ways to address what he described as “valid concerns.”
Steranka believes it’s possible for them to do this without sacrificing their mission and vision for Pokémon Go, according to one of his tweets from May 23. It’s a similar idea to one he touched on after breaking his silence on the HearUsNiantic movement and Remote Raid Pass controversy in an interview with Dot Esports on May 18.
That mission and vision, he explained, is to create a better and healthier experience than spamming Legendary Raids by throwing money at Remote Raid Passes, which he added he is also guilty of doing.
In an effort to do that, Steranka said he is hoping to chat with more players around the world to get more feedback on what features and changes they’d like to see. He also vowed to keep an open line of communication—something players have wanted for years.
The reaction to his comments has been a lot better than he did the interview, suggesting while players are still angry and disappointed with the direction of the game, they’re somewhat hopeful about his openness to listen to feedback.
Others, however, are adamant the damage has been done, and the player count for the huge handheld title, which has seemingly plummeted according to recent reports, will never return to what it once was in its heyday. Not even new game features like the Pokémon Go Web Store can convince them otherwise either.
Niantic’s approach from here could make or break the future of Pokémon Go. One more bad decision could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Steranka seems optimistic his team can appease the masses though.
