Pokemon Go Brings Back Temporary Bonuses in Response to Ongoing Pandemic

Earlier this year, Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, implemented a variety of changes in the free-to-play mobile game in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes were introduced to make it easier for players to enjoy the game without being required to leave the house. These bonuses affected things like Incense effectiveness and the number of Gifts players can hold at a single time (among other features).

Then, in early October, some of these changes were rolled back. For instance, Incense effectiveness was changed so that it would only apply while players were actively walking.

Now, as the pandemic worsens, Niantic has reintroduced two bonuses to help players make in-game progress from home:

• Incense effectiveness has been increased, causing it to attract wild Pokemon to your location more often than before.
• Your Buddy Pokemon can now bring you up to 15 Gifts per day. To be specific, they can bring you Gifts up to three times per day, and each time, they can bring you up to five Gifts.

In a news post, Niantic said these particular bonuses will remain in effect until at least June 2021. It said it will “give at least one month’s notice before they change.”

In addition, Niantic said that even more bonuses will be featured in “select upcoming events” going forward. These include “Incubator distance reduction,” “Trade distance increases,” and “1 PokéCoin bundles,” among others.

Keep checking back with SuperParent, as we’ll make sure to let you know when additional changes or updates are made to Pokemon Go.