Pokemon Go cheats are a cause of worry not only for fans, but also for the game’s developer. So going forward, Niantic is issuing lifetime bans to players using cheats on the game. Also the game developer plans to pursue legal action against bot developers.
True players suffering
Pokemon Go cheats are using bots and tools capable of playing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Such tools also trick the game’s location-tracking system, making it appear as if the player is walking around and catching Pokemon.
Such bots and tools have given birth to some very powerful players and monsters; as a result, Pokemon gyms have become unassailable for most other players. This is frustrating for other players who spend real money on in-game currency and items but still are incapable of competing.
Since the removal of Pokemon tracking within the game, enthusiasts have started to become disillusioned with Pokemon Go – the wildly popular augmented reality smartphone game. Many feel they aren’t able to compete with bots in gyms, and their enjoyment in catching Pokemon has lessened as now the game has turned into one of random chance.
Pokemon Go’s terms of service strictly prohibit cheating, but until now, no punishment has been levied on a large scale. However, Niantic has started issuing legal warnings against bot developers, extending its action against Pokemon location mapping services such as Pokevision.
A fight against Pokemon Go cheats
Niantic intends to provide a fair and legitimate gaming experience to all, and hence, it is taking such actions. The developer said to improve the quality of the gameplay – including ongoing optimization and fine-tuning of the anti-cheat system — it will continue to work with all related parties.
Pokemon Go users welcomed the news, with one user saying, “I’m level 27 with a legit ~2650 dragonite. It took a lot of time and hard work to get that Pokémon, and I’m glad that he will actually be rare and relevant again.”
Niantic is issuing lifetime bans to the users of such bot services. The company recently updated the support pages so as to specifically call out users “falsifying [their] location, using emulators, modified or unofficial software and/or accessing Pokémon Go clients or backends in an unauthorised manner including through the use of third-party software.”
Necrobat is a paid-for service enabling players to perform so-called “farming” on their Pokemon Go accounts, hatch eggs and collect various items and Pokemon.
Its developer said, “Due to legal action being started against other bot creators and developers (we did not receive a letter yet) the project development will be stopped. All source files/downloads will be removed.” At its heights, Necrobat had 260,000 registered users and 500,000 downloads a day of its files from Github.
Though Niantic is testing a new tracking system to assist users in tracking rare Pokémon, it is not known if steps like the new system and the banning of Pokemon Go cheats will come to effect in time to entice users to return to the game.
