With the release of Pokemon GO, We have seen a wave of support from fans of the series. The app is currently at the top of the most popular apps on both the iOS and Android marketplace. In the recent patch of the game, Niantic, the company responsible for the app, removed the in-game tracking system from the game. Before it’s removal, there were issues with the accuracy of the system. There has been no word from the developers if the system will be patched back in during another update.
Along with the removal of the system, PokeVision, a popular third-party tracking website was shut down at the request of Niantic and Nintendo. This new was made public on the website’s official twitter page. The shut down of PokeVision has caused backlash from the community surrounding Pokemon Go. Yang Liu, the creator of PokeVision, has addressed his feelings in an open letter to Niantic.
In this letter, Liu mentions how Pokemon GO rekindled his love for the series, and has also introduced people from all backgrounds to the game as well. He then talks about how many of the issues that the app had at launch made playing the game stressful for fans, Liu mentions that he created the website as a way to help others enjoy the game while these issues were being looked at.
In his letter, Liu states, “We made Pokevision not to “cheat.” We made it so that we can have a temporary relief to the in-game tracker that we were told was broken. John, at SDCC, you said that you guys were working on “fixing the in-game tracker.” This made everyone believe that this was coming sometime soon. We saw Pokevision as a stop gap to this — and we had every intention in closing it down the minute that Pokemon Go’s own tracker restored functionality.” Yang Liu hopes that Niantic will listen to player’s feedback in order to help make an already great game even better.