Pokémon Go confirms major changes to Remote Raids arriving next week
More like Pokémon Stay.
When it launched back in 2016, Pokémon Go was all about getting outdoors, but under its new ownership, the game may be moving back to your sofa with some upcoming changes.
Remote Raids are a mechanic first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a means of letting players continue to raid while stuck indoors.
Although it was hugely popular at the time, developer Niantic later added restrictions in 2023 in an attempt to try and get people back outside.
But as the game has changed hands following its $3.5 billion takeover by Monopoly Go owner Scopely, those restrictions are set to be eased.
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From next week, players will have a daily Remote Raid limit of 10, double the previous limit of five. This is in tandem with the Max Particle (MP) limit increasing to 1,500, and an increase in the Premier Balls and XP obtained from battling in-person.
But despite the timing, Pokémon Go senior producer John Funtanilla explained in an interview with Eurogamer that it's just a coincidence, and that these changes have been long in the making.
"These changes take a long time to get into the game," he said. "These are things we take measured approaches to, and it's entirely a Pokémon Go decision."
"These are things we have looked at for years – we've looked at the data, we've looked at the community feedback. It's entirely the leadership here, internally, and definitely 100 per cent our decision to make these changes."
While he acknowledged that a doubling of the Remote Raid limit may seem like a lot, Funtanilla made clear that this is a "baseline increase," and that the team wants to avoid putting themselves "in a position where we might have to roll back decisions".
For him, this decision is a way for the developers to support player freedom, and "making sure that [players] can enjoy the game their way".
But while these changes will undoubtedly encourage more players to stay indoors to play, Funtanilla is adamant that Pokémon Go core appeal will always be about getting outside.
"The magic of Pokémon Go is still playing in person and meeting up in communities," he explained. "It's always going to be the most cost-effective way to play – the difficulty will come down and it's more cost effective to use MP in person without Remote Raid Passes."
These changes will go live on 13th May 2025 at 7pm BST.
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