Pokemon Go Players Are Hating the New Avatar Changes

This week, Niantic began to roll out changes to Pokemon Go as part of the game's "Rediscover Go" campaign. Part of that campaign has seen the first major overhaul to the game's avatar system since 2016 and, well... fans hate it. Niantic's goal with the update was to offer more options for body types, but the resulting models have gotten a lot of pushback from players. Some of these complaints have been more fair than others; some people are trying to push this as a new culture war when it's clear the developers are just trying to be more inclusive. Regardless, the actual results leave a lot to be desired. 

"This avatar refresh on Pokemon Go is literally worse than the remote raid pass nerf. I can't believe that they are constantly releasing 'updates' that slowly destroy the game," writes Twitter user @PrestonGraff. 

Why are People Upset With Pokemon Go?

The complaints about the avatar changes boil down to three problems. The first issue is that there simply aren't enough body type options, and players are finding that their avatar no longer looks like their previously selected gender. As a longtime Pokemon Go player, I can attest that it's a lot harder to get my avatar to reflect my own appearance. Some options look way too slender, while others look too thick. Finding a happy medium has been challenging, and that's frustrating in a game where players have spent a lot of money buying avatar options. 

In addition to body types, fans aren't happy with the new face options, which are drastically worse than before. As a workaround, some players are embracing some of the fully masked options that exist in the game's store. The Giratina and Cofagrigus masks will set you back some PokeCoins, but at least they'll fully cover those hideous, hideous face designs. Last but not least, this avatar update has resulted in skin tones that look significantly paler than they did previously. As a result, players that once had tan or peach skin now look as white as Vanillite. 

"The options for skin tone are all so sickly and unrealistic," writes Twitter user @SourOmelette. "My avatar now is PAINFULLY Pale and I guess I gotta live with that?" 

Will Niantic Fix These Pokemon Go Avatar Changes?

It's worth noting that not everyone is unhappy with the update. While there are a lot of people clearly displeased, some have argued that the new options do make it easier for their avatar to reflect their real life look. That's clearly what Niantic was going for, and that's a good thing! It remains to be seen whether Niantic will reverse course on these changes, or if we'll see them slightly tweaked to make things a little more palatable to the game's players. Niantic can be pretty stubborn when it comes to listening to the player community (as evidenced by the Remote Raid changes), but it's possible we could see some kind of middle ground. 

How do you feel about these avatar changes in Pokemon Go? Do you think your character looks worse now? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!