To help curb the spread of the coronavirus, people have been advised to stay home if possible and to avoid going to crowded places where there is a chance that someone in the crowd might have the virus, which could then be spread to others. So where does this leave games like Pokemon GO that require players to walk around outdoors?To prevent their players from potentially catching the virus, Niantic has announced that they will be modifying some of the game’s mechanics that will temporarily allow players to enjoy Pokemon GO from the safety of their homes, at least to a certain extent. For example, there will be an increase in the number of habitats so that players will be able to find new Pokemon GO while playing closer to their homes.
The company has also announced that they will be discounting Incense packs (which are used to help increase spawns) by 99%, and they will also now last for up to an hour when activated. Eggs will also now hatch twice as fast, where previously gamers needed to walk a certain number of steps before an egg hatched, but it will now be halved.
Note that these changes are temporary and presumably the game will go back to normal once this crisis subsides. According to Niantic, “While we’ve made these updates based on the current global health situation, we also encourage players to make decisions on where to go and what to do that are in the best interest of their health and the health of their communities.”
Filed in . Read more about Coronavirus, Covid-19, Health, Niantic and Pokémon GO. Source: polygon