Pokemon Go Blames Recent EX Raid Madness on Bug; Makes Tweaks for Future Invites

Pokemon Go's recent EX Raid madness was caused by an errant bug.

On Wednesday, Pokemon Go sent out a new wave of EX Raid Invites as they do every couple of days. However, players reported receiving EX Raid Invites at locations that they haven't visited in months or at gyms where they had never raided before, both of which went against Pokemon Go's supposed criteria for qualifying for a chance to battle Mewtwo. Currently, getting an invite to an EX Raid is the only way players can battle and potentially capture Mewtwo, the most powerful Pokemon in the game.

In a blogpost last night, Pokemon Go blamed the errant wave of invites due to a bug created when developers were tweaking how EX Raid Invites were sent out. "A bug was introduced when these changes were made, and, as a result, some Trainers were invited to participate in an EX Raid Battle at a Gym they may not have visited in several months," the blogpost read. "This bug has already been resolved, and future invites will better represent how the updated invitation process is intended to function."

More importantly, Pokemon Go confirmed that they had made several changes to the EX Raid system, intended to give more players opportunities to get invites. Pokemon Go flagged more gyms as meeting the necessary criteria for hosting an EX Raid Battle (gyms need to either be at parks or sponsored locations) and more trainers will be invited to every EX Raid.

Pokemon Go also changed how players are selected for EX Raid Battles. players with a higher level gym medal will now have an even higher chance of being invited to an EX Raid Battle at that location. In addition, players who complete more Raid Battles at ANY location the week before EX Raid invitations are sent out will also have a greater likelihood of getting an invite.

Pokemon Go ended the blogpost by noting that they were following social media chatter about EX Raids, which has been overwhelmingly negative these last few months. Many players see EX Raids as a cash grab as it prioritizes players who participate in multiple raids at a site. The system has also faced issues with spoofers, who can target multiple EX Raid locations to get invites in ways that "legitimate" players can't.

Clearly, Pokemon Go is hoping that these tweaks turns down the heat on EX Raids, a system that most players loathe. Whether or not these changes bring positive momentum to EX Raids remains to be seen.