A few months ago, Niantic announced that the Gigantamax phenomenon would arrive in Pokémon GO. The highly anticipated moment is finally here, but instead of providing players with a reason to engage, it has sparked a wave of frustration.
Dynamax battles are a mechanic from the main series that debuted in Pokémon Sword & Shield and have been in Pokémon GO for a few months. The Gigantamax form (also known as Gigamax) is essentially similar, but only certain species can access it, changing the Pokémon’s appearance temporarily as it grows in size.
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The adventure’s getting even bigger with the emergence of Gigantamax Pokémon in #PokemonGO! 🔥🤩 pic.twitter.com/sfcqFqXUOH
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) October 24, 2024
Why are Max or Gigantamax Battles so difficult in Pokémon GO?
The Gigantamax or Max Battles made their debut this weekend, but with heavy criticism as players report that they are extremely difficult. It’s not a matter of skill, but an unfairly unbalanced difficulty that, instead of engaging players, is turning them away.
“These are the toughest challenges in Pokémon GO so far,” Niantic warned in promotional material a few days ago, explaining that these Raid battles are only available in person. They can’t be accessed remotely with Raid Passes, and teams must range from 10 to 40 players. Yet, players didn’t anticipate that these battles would be so poorly balanced.
As a result, Gigantamax Raids are out of reach for most of Pokémon GO's player base, as these requirements can only be met in highly populated cities where players must coordinate to stand a chance. It seems Niantic is overlooking the fact that Pokémon GO is no longer the phenomenon it was in 2016, when it was easy to find people playing on the streets.
Outraged players didn’t hold back, calling the new mechanic “terrible” and even making “Gigantamax” trend on Twitter (X) as countless players shared their frustration with its implementation.
Caught Gigantamax #Venusaur, Gigantamax #Charizard, and Gigantamax #Blastoise in #MaxBattles 🎉
— mrppoint TL50 (@mppoint93) October 26, 2024
Blastoise was the hardest and we needed to relobby 3 times (24 People). Venusaur was also pretty close with 38 People. #PokemonGO #dynamax #PokemonGOApp #Pokemon pic.twitter.com/2mKxDKuetb
Numerous players reported that even in groups of 30 or more, they were unable to defeat the Energy Node Boss, often repeating the fight multiple times.
Tbh I'm not too interested in the Gigantamax raids. I don't really see a point in chasing after them if the stakes are way higher than the regular raids. If I like a Gigantamax pokemon's design, that'd be a different story, but none of them interest me, so I'll pass this time🫡 pic.twitter.com/aooGy28Grz
— Nian (@NianNeedsSleep) October 25, 2024
These Gigantamax raids are super easy. Just copy the team I used.. 😎🔥#PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/qPWYkuhYV9
— Mike (@RaspberryWeiner) October 26, 2024
Players criticized not only the overwhelming difficulty but also the underwhelming rewards upon winning. Even worse, Gigantamax Pokémon cannot be transferred to Pokémon HOME.
So far, Niantic hasn’t responded, but adjustments based on user feedback are expected.
All my local Pokemon GO groups have been silent for days. Nothing on Campfirr
— Joe Merrick (@JoeMerrick) October 26, 2024
Reports of people unable to do Gigantamax with even as many as 20 people, if not more.
Guess I’m not getting any Gigantamax Pokémon in GO then.
Local only with this difficulty is just dumb. pic.twitter.com/uUfyzK75Zu
Even @NianticLabs acknowledges that Gigantamax is full of holes right now.
— JRESeawolf (@JreSeawolf) October 25, 2024
An even larger issue: winning in the first place. These posts (pictured) are just the tip of the iceberg of issues players are having (and pathetic rewards).
Who thought any of this was a good idea? 🤨 https://t.co/u0c0M9M95v pic.twitter.com/qw9Wlpfh5T
In case you missed it: The Pokémon Company is taking down leaked Game Freak content.
What do you think of the implementation of the Gigantamax phenomenon in Pokémon GO? Let us know in the comments or on Discord.
Pokémon GO is available on mobile devices. You can find more related news on our dedicated mini-site.
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