Pokémon Go’s big avatar update fails to impress players

Niantic

Gamers usually look forward to titles getting big updates, but Pokémon Go players have learned to fear such days – and Niantic’s latest attempt at improving the mobile game once again proved them right to be cautious. On the surface, the avatar update is supposed to allow users more customization options for their in-game characters and it’s not like this goal hasn’t been achieved – for example, players can don any kind of clothing regardless of gender now or choose different body sizes.

As is often the case with Niantic’s updates, though, the good intentions can’t cover up the fact that it’s a technical disaster – and an aesthetic one.

Players seem to particularly dislike the new avatar faces, which are largely held as too baby-like. Another issue are the available skin tones. In the words of one commenter: “My avatar is looking so pale he looks anemic.”

“I want a ‘healthy white person who sees the sun’, and all my options are ‘white person struck with jaundice and/or tuberculosis’,” another user summed up their disappointment.

Other users pointed out that every character now stands around as if they’ve been riding a horse for the last 24 hours.

It’s clear that Niantic was going for a more androgynous look with the body shape, which is totally fine, but it didn’t execute the move very well – everyone looks somewhat amorphous now.

No one asked for this. Revert it. pic.twitter.com/vlWckMonBX

— Aninymouse (@Aninymouse) April 18, 2024

Many avatar items – often purchased with real money – don’t seem to have been updated to fit with the newly available options yet, making them unusable to their owners. That is, if they can even find their purchased goods: Players report that bought items have vanished from their inventory and the game prompts them to buy them again if they would like to equip them.

This does not seem to be quite accurate – in most cases, items were merely moved to different categories and the sheer mass of available clothing and apparel (due to everyone being able to access all versions of them now) makes them difficult to spot. In some cases, players mistake their items for available sets, which contain additional pieces they may not own, and thus get the impression that the game wants them to double-dip on something.

Niantic surely didn’t have any malicious intent when making this reorganization, but unfortunately that’s the exact effect it’s having in practice.

Other items are straight-up bugged now and can’t be equipped at all, while some combos are no longer possible due to how misshapen certain clothing and accessories are now.

Please tell me how you think the new avatar looks better in any way. pic.twitter.com/jFQzqFEuzL

— 🌸Ria🌸 (@RiaMcQuaid) April 17, 2024

“Trainers, your avatar can now look even more like YOU!” is the official slogan advertising this update – it’d be hard to come up with something more ironic.