The #HearUsNiantic started trending worldwide, as the Pokémon GO community voiced their anger and dissatisfaction towards an in-game change that was recently implemented on the game. 

So what were the changes that made the community come together in unison? There are three primary changes that left the community very dissatisfied, with the primary one being the revert of the increased PokéStop and Gym interaction distances.

When Niantic initially announced these changes, the community took it to various social media to say how these changes should not take place, especially when the COVID pandemic is still ongoing. With such changes being implemented in New Zealand and the United States, the Pokémon GO community was left furious not only about these changes, but the zero communication between them and Niantic.

Brandon Tan, the number 1 Pokémon GO player in the world, recently announced on a Youtube video that he will no longer be spending his money on the game anymore. He shared that he usually spends about 4-5K USD per month in the last 5 years. Tan commented that he will no longer monetarily support Niantic unless Niantic reverts the recent changes and starts listening to their community. As a player based in Singapore, Tan’s currently unaffected by these changes; however, he urged other unaffected players to follow him in his steps.

Many other major content creators, such as ZoeTwoDots and LeekDuck have posted an open letter on Twitter to share the community’s concern and started a trend called #HearUsNiantic. What's ironic is that Niantic touts its community as one of its biggest strengths; to see their own community band together in essentially boycotting their game is a trend that will surely lead to a game company’s downfall.