Some Pokemon Go players believe Niantic is hiring bots to leave positive ratings for the video game amid the issue surrounding Remote Raid prices. Niantic increased the cost of Remote Raids from 100 Pokecoins to 195 Pokecoins on April 6. Players have consequently protested the price hike, which severely negatively affected rural and disabled users. In response, a Change.org petition to reinstate the previous Remote Raids has received 90k signatures.
Additionally, Pokemon Go players have started protesting Niantic by deleting the app or refusing to buy in-game goods. Also, users now have proof that the business has been fabricating five-star evaluations and erasing those unfavorable to Pokemon Go.
Bots might be posting phony five-star ratings for Pokemon Go
On IMGUR, a number of screenshots showing detailed five-star ratings of Pokemon Go have surfaced. The few days before the Remote Raid cost increase, reviewers used the words “great” and “very super” as examples of their honest compliments.
Additionally, the purportedly fake reviews were uploaded on the Pokemon Go forum by Reddit user flyingswordfish. FlavorfulHades commented, “At the risk of Pokemon Go itself, I want Niantic to go down hard due to this update. Also, I hope someone more familiar with strange legalese knows who to report them to for this. In jest, octopodes said, “Niantic does be paying for reviews lmao.”
Along with fake reviews, Reddit user xologist2 speculated that Niantic might also be removing positive ones. Rjbelz’s comment increased the legitimacy of the post, “My review has been deleted twice, and my 1* ratings have been removed four times.” According to NerdbyanyotherName, Google Play has the ability to erase reviews on its own. If an app suddenly receives an influx of reviews containing minimal or no text in the explanation section, it actively defends itself against bots and malicious review bombing.
Along with criticism for the Remote Raid Pass update, Niantic has come under fire for its brand-new Campfire social app. Players can accomplish in-person elements like Raids and Gyms through Campfire. However, this has a negative impact on trainers who live in rural areas, just like the expense of a Remote Raid.
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