'Pokemon GO': Niantic Making Major Updates Due To COVID-19

Niantic, the creators and developers of the popular interactive game "Pokemon GO," is making major updates to make their titles more friendly and appropriate during this health crisis brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

While the company has previously announced its plan to make "Pokemon GO" easier to play inside the house while people are in quarantine, it is only recently that they provided a detailed plan on how they will make the game and their other releases more quarantine-friendly.

In an announcement on their blog, Niantic revealed that "Pokemon GO" players will soon be able to stay in touch with each other through an improved in-game virtual social feature. This also means that friends can soon take on raids together even while at home.

"Pokemon GO" will also soon take a huge part in keeping players healthy and busy throughout the quarantine period. According to their release, the game will track a player’s steps indoor with Adventure Sync, which will count toward game achievements. With this, activities like cleaning the house and running on a treadmill, will beneficial while playing.

The American game developers also hinted about "an entirely new way to enjoy Pokémon GO Fest." While they did not mention any specific change they will make for the live event, Niantic noted that they will reveal the details soon.

Other Niantic games such as "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" and "Ingress" are also set to receive major updates in lieu of the coronavirus pandemic.

For "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite," there is an increased amount of content near the players on the map, which will allow players to see more “Spell Energy, more iconic Harry Potter content, and rare potions ingredients” to help them progress even while at home.

As for the "Ingress" game, “portals are now tuned to encourage at-home play.” It also revealed that the need to interact with multiple Portals has been reduced.

It is worth noting, however, that Niantic did not mention when these changes will hit live servers and be implemented. However, players can assume that it will be coming sooner rather than later given the situation surrounding the coronavirus crisis.

As of writing, there are over 855,000 coronavirus cases in the world. The US remains the nation with the most number of infected, totaling to more than 186,000. Governments and health officials continue to suggest self-isolation and quarantine, with most even imposing lockdowns.