Pokémon GO is a smash hit, as are websites like Poké Radar and PokéVision. Nobody wants to walk around endlessly in Pokémon GO merely hoping to stumble upon a new type of Pokémon, so websites like the ones mentioned above that show where exactly certain creatures are spawning have proven to be a valuable resource for those attempting to become the best trainer there ever was.
Unfortunately, it sounds like those resources might not be around for too much longer. Niantic CEO John Hanke, in a new interview with Forbes, says he isn't a fan of websites like Poké Radar and PokéVision, and that the sites actually violate Pokémon GO's terms of service agreement. Here's what he says when asked about Poké Radar.
"Yeah, I don't really like that," Hanke says. "Not a fan. We have priorities right now but they might find in the future that those things may not work. People are only hurting themselves because it takes some fun out of the game. People are hacking around trying to take data out of our system and that's against our terms of service."
Hanke doesn't definitively say that action will be taken against sites that use the game's code to display Pokémon locations, but it certainly sounds that way. Once the game's servers are stabilized it seems like Niantic might invest resources in making sure sites like Poké Radar stay offline. The sites could be around for weeks, months or even years to come. But it still sounds like one day, those resources will no longer work.
That's a major bummer for players. No matter what, people are going to find a way to make the experience easier. If it's not a map that actually uses the game's code to display creature locations, it will be homemade maps compiling data from various players. Much of what players know about Pokémon GO already has been assembled by dedicated players, and that trend would only continue.
Poké Radar and PokéVision simply make the process a little easier. In a game that requires users to walk miles upon miles just to hatch an egg, or travel to other countries to catch region-locked Pokémon, is having a map that allows players to easily see what Pokémon are nearby all that bad? And that's not even bringing up how the game's "nearby Pokémon" feature doesn't even work, making actually tracking down nearby pocket monsters the old-fashioned way near impossible.
If Niantic can't provide accessible tools for hunting down virtual creatures, players will take it upon themselves to do so. That's exactly what has happened, and it seems like a low blow for Niantic to punish sites that are making Pokémon GO a much more enjoyable experience for many.
