'Pokemon GO' Shadowban: Anti-Cheat Measure Prevents Trainers from Finding Rare Pokemon
Niantic has once again implemented new measures to stop cheaters from doing their business on "Pokemon GO." Instead of banning them entirely from the game, Niantic now shadowbans gamers.
Shadowban is what the "Pokemon GO" community is calling Niantic's recent anti-cheating system. When players are flagged by Niantic, they will not be made aware of it. Those who are shadowbanned will still be permitted to access the game, even play it. However, these trainers will only be able to find common Pokemon such as Geodude, Pidgey, among others.
As revealed in a thread on Reddit, where players who have been shadowbanned gathered, rare Pokemon no longer show up on their map.
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Players expressed their concern on the matter, wondering how to find out if they have been flagged. One shared that Niantic would send players a message, warning them on the detected activity, and urging them to stop using third-party software.
"Please be aware that the use of such software can result in the loss of your account," the note reads. On the other hand, another trainer stated that not all gamers will receive the bot warning.
Niantic started banning players last August. Those who have made use of emulators, unofficial software, as well as those who have falsified their locations were removed from the game.
The studio has not officially released a statement confirming that such a method is in place. When Polygon reached out to the developers for confirmation, they only said that anti-cheat measures are still in development.
"Niantic is committed to maintaining the state of Pokemon Go and out community of Trainers," a representative told the publication. "While we cannot discuss the systems implemented, we can confirm that we are constantly refining new ways to ensure the integrity of the game in order to keep it fun and fair for all players."
More updates should follow.
