Pokémon GO Introduces New “Update,” Fans Express Outrage
jesslind | Apr 18, 2024 |
The still popular mobile game Pokémon GO just released a new update—and no, it’s not to fix any bugs or other issues. The latest announcement revealed new avatar customization options that will now “look even more like YOU!” A good decade ago, this was welcomed, with many people saying how great it would be to have the option of customizing your trainer, so when X/Y versions were released, you can imagine the delight at the many fashionable clothing, hair, and accessories that were then available.
However, this “update” for the mobile game has completely removed any distinguishing gender characteristics from the player’s avatar. Worse yet, there is no option to return to your original avatar, so players are stuck with their unappealing new ones.
Character creators in AAA games went from Male/Female to Body Type A and Body Type B.
The next step, from AAA Studios I spoke with, says even body types are being erased in upcoming games.
Instead you will be presented with a random mix of male and female parts, bodies, heads… pic.twitter.com/c6UeQ4hE6w
— Grummz (@Grummz) April 18, 2024
Unfortunately, this is nothing new in the gaming industry, with many AAA studios going from male/female to Body Type A and Body Type B, but the final step is to erase even these options altogether. Instead, players will be presented with a variation of random male and female bodies and heads, just as Pokémon GO has done.
The @PokemonGoApp removed gender from all Pokemon Go! players yesterday in a sweeping change that left fans at @PokemonGOHubNet furious.
I took a look at the character creator myself.
Gender is GONE, replaced by a hodgepodge of androgynous options. Nothing can be too feminine… pic.twitter.com/cgKWQ9YcLs
— Grummz (@Grummz) April 18, 2024
Many players have taken to X to express their grievances with this change, and who could blame them when their avatars have become formless blobs with gorilla arms? This makes the androgynous clothing options in the recent main series Pokémon games, Scarlet and Violet, look like a nothing burger. It is sad to see such a beloved franchise slowly be infected by DEI restrictions, especially one from which many (including myself) have grown up playing the games. And when Crystal Version came out, not only did the sprites move to add more personality and flare, but there was also the introduction to the first female player option in a Pokémon game. From that moment on, the audience only continued to grow, and now, the Pokémon Company has celebrated two decades of success in gaming.
I will never forgive #Niantic for what they did to my avatar. She’s so uggo now I don’t even want to look at the mini version at the bottom left of the screen 🤢 She was perfect the way she was! 😭😭😭 #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/nXZ9tj9A17
— Erica Toney (@B4RBIE_BE4TD0WN) April 17, 2024
What really sucks about this @PokemonGoApp @NianticLabs appearance update is that I can’t even choose my original avatar, it HAS to be changed.
— Christian Rocker 1️⃣9️⃣9️⃣ (@ChristianRocker) April 18, 2024
With these abhorrent changes, the company is allowing this legacy to be washed down the drain with no regard for the loyal players who brought them the success they enjoyed. It should be stressed here for those unaware that Nintendo merely distributes the main series and spin-off games of the Pokémon Company, and Niantic Labs is solely responsible for Pokémon GO, which is a separate entity from the Japanese gaming titan. This does, however, beg the question: will we see a continued downward spiral with Pokémon and, potentially, Nintendo itself, regardless of whether Japan is believed to be safe from the DEI nonsense of the West? The best we can do is continue to speak up and not relent, gatekeep our beloved franchises from the infection of woke, for that is the only way for us fans to save the things we hold dear: by not allowing these people to warp and destroy them before our eyes.
