Pok\u00e9mon Go <\/em>has officially changed its avatar models, and players across social media are mourning the loss of their previous looks, with some saying this new update has \u201cruined their trainer\u201d along with causing various visual bugs.<\/p>
On April 17, the first wave of Niantic\u2019s new \u201cRediscover Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em><\/a>\u201d updates went live, pushing a new set of avatar designs live with more customization options available. Unfortunately, those models also drastically altered the look<\/a> of legendary Japanese character artist Y\u016bsuke Kozaki\u2019s original Pok\u00e9mon Go <\/em>designs for the player trainers, leaving them as \u201ccorpses\u201d<\/a> with less vibrant colors and odd proportions. <\/p>
What some players heralded as \u201cvisual doomsday\u201d<\/a> has now come to pass, and many who thought that was an exaggeration is now seeing that, while some of the options are welcome additions, the suction of soul from the models was not overly dramaticized. \u201cI am so sorry I ever doubted you oh wise PoGo<\/em> community. Niantic, what the hell is this?\u201d Reddit user Tatertot1282 said<\/a>. \u201cThe stance. The arms. Why are the arms so long? Why does everything look awful now? We wanted hair options but at what cost? The hair options are so bad???!!!\u201d<\/p>
Yes, the ability to change your trainer\u2019s body shape and some additional features like the hair is something players have been asking Niantic to implement for years, but the whiplash is deserving of this building backlash. Players are making jokes about their \u201cass being gone\u201d<\/a> and the like, but the sheer number of posts being upset at the new proportions genuinely upset<\/a> and thinking about quitting the game<\/a> outweighs the jokes. <\/p>
It has been received so poorly that players are contemplating purchases for avatar items that cover their entire character up, saying things like \u201cNiantic has body-shamed my avatar into a jacket permanently.\u201d Pair that with rising demand for a way to revert to the old Pok\u00e9mon Go <\/em>avatars<\/a>, and you have a recipe for fan backlash not seen since last April\u2019s Remote Raid changes<\/a>, and similar calls for boycotts<\/a>.<\/p>
\u201cEight years of an established look just to pull the rug out from under people for features nobody asked for other than hair, and no OPTION, operative word here, OPTION to use the originals if we so please. And still no facial hair even,\u201d Reddit user The_Scrungler said<\/a>. \u201cThey physically could not have handled this worse.\u201d<\/p>
The disappointment doesn\u2019t even touch on other issues caused by this Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/em> update, such as broken visuals when catching Pok\u00e9mon, accessories breaking when equipped<\/a>, and avatar items simply being removed from players\u2019 outfit tabs\u2014several of which cost coins to buy<\/a>. Players are also reporting an increased number of app crashes and broken widgets<\/a> after updating too. <\/p>
This is the first of several updates Niantic has dubbed \u201cRediscover Pok\u00e9mon Go\u201d that will be released through to May 7, with the next drop set to add \u201cenhanced visuals\u201d for the map, encounter screens, and other areas set for April 22, alongside a new event<\/a>.<\/p>
