Pokemon Go fans slam Niantic for removing Avatar pose after accidental release

Philip Trahan
Pokemon Go Niantic responds to boycott

Pokemon Go fans have blasted developer Niantic for removing an Avatar pose from all accounts after it was accidentally released early.

Pokemon Go has plenty of cosmetic options that players can use to customize their Avatar characters.

Most of these cosmetic items, which include hats, shirts, hoodies, and even poses, can be purchased through the in-game store.

However, some fans were surprised as they were treated to a free Avatar pose on February 8, 2024. Sadly, Niantic has now removed the pose from all accounts after it was accidentally released early and trainers are not happy.

Pokemon Go fans furious over Avatar pose removal

Several posts on social media platforms began to pop up on February 8, 2024, as some players noticed they were able to activate a new pose option for their Avatar, called the Pikachu PhD pose.

Sadly, this free pose would not stick around long for those who activated it, as Niantic Support put out a statement on February 9, 2024.

The official statement read: “Trainers, some upcoming exclusive avatar rewards were accidentally made available to all Trainers for a short time. These rewards are no longer available, and will be removed from Trainer accounts. Details on how to acquire them will be coming soon. Thanks for understanding.”

Naturally, many fans were not happy to hear that the Avatar pose would be forcibly removed from their accounts, despite being the developer’s mistake.

“Why don’t you let us have nice things when it is your mistake,” asked one trainer.

Another said, “Yall really accidentally gave us it for free, then you’re going to take it away from us, then sell it right back to us later on.”

This news comes shortly after Niantic apologized for the state of Pokemon Go on February 8, 2024, when many players claimed the mobile game was unplayable thanks to a myriad of bugs.

About The Author

Philip is a Staff Writer at Dexerto based in Louisiana, with expertise in Pokemon, Apex Legends, and general gaming industry news. His first job in the games industry was as a reviewer with NintendoEverything.com while attending college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication focusing on Multimedia Journalism, he worked with GameRant.com for nearly two years before joining Dexerto. When he's not writing he's usually tearing through some 80+ hour JRPG. You can contact him at philip.trahan@dexerto.com.