“Night owls hoot in protest and sun-soaked screens sizzle in the heat, as Niantic’s recent Hatch Day event for Pokemon GO stirs up a storm of dissatisfaction among its dedicated player base.”
Niantic’s latest Riolu Hatch Day event in Pokemon GO, far from encouraging play, has instead attracted a flurry of complaints.
Players were tasked with hatching eggs during a very specific three-hour window (2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. local time) to obtain both standard and shiny variants of Riolu, the Emanation Pokemon. However, many found the time constraints limiting and the summertime heat unbearable, leading to an outpouring of dissatisfaction on platforms like Reddit.
A crucial thread of discontent ran through comments from users who work odd hours or those burdened by their geographical location’s weather.
Reddit user OptimusPam, a night-shift worker, voiced frustration over missing out on daytime events due to sleep commitments, ending their rant with a heartfelt call for nocturnal raids. “Night owls deserve to have fun playing too!” the user exclaimed.
Reddit’s Pokemon GO community also highlighted the health and safety concerns of playing in sweltering temperatures. One user joked about giving the event a “hard pass” to avoid walking in extreme heat. Adding to this sentiment, another Trainer lamented that their phone tends to overheat after mere minutes of playtime in the summer, while another user shared a tale of regret over choosing to partake in the event in a scorching 105-degree temperature when they could have used an indoor mall.
Another key point of contention was the rigid event timing, which conflicted with personal schedules. One player suggested flexibility in the event start, saying, “It’d be nice if you could just start the 3-hour timer when you wanted as long as it didn’t go into the next day.” Another Redditor mirrored this sentiment, wishing for the opportunity to choose a suitable time slot or kick off the event at their convenience.
The mixed reactions to the Riolu Hatch Day event signify the latest instance of Niantic’s strategic decisions facing backlash. While the developer’s intention to stimulate interest and engagement is clear, the implementation seems to have missed the mark with a significant portion of the game’s fanbase.
