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Third-party Pokemon GO apps "hurt" game and delayed Latin America launch

Niantic explains why it blocked them

Third-party Pokemon GO apps "hurt" game and delayed Latin America launch

Pokemon GO developer Niantic Labs has taken to its blog to explain why it blocked the usage of third-party apps.

The decision to block third-party tracking services such as Pokevision, which allowed users to see the exact location of Pokemon near to them, drew the ire of many players.

Some even threatened an IAP boycott. Niantic's explanation, however, is that "these seemingly innocuous sites and apps actually hurt our ability to deliver the game to new and existing players."

The above graph shows the reduced consumption in server resources that occurred as a direct result of Niantic blocking third-party services.

Notably it does not provide exact numbers for spatial queries per second, however.

The developer claimed the issue was a serious barrier to bringing the game to new markets, and freeing these resources was essential to the recent launch in Latin America.

"We look forward to getting the game on stable footing so we can begin to work on new features," read a statement from Niantic.

"Above all, be safe, be nice to your fellow trainers, and keep on exploring."

Features Editor

Matt is really bad at playing games, but hopefully a little better at writing about them. He's Features Editor for PocketGamer.biz, and has also written for lesser publications such as IGN, VICE, and Paste Magazine.