Pokémon GO shuts down the most popular Route with 91,776 trips, Marks it as ‘Inaccessible Area’
Trainers, we’ve got a puzzler that’s bound to boggle your minds. Imagine a Route in Pokémon GO marked “Popular,” used 91,776 times, only to be axed by Niantic for being in an “Inaccessible area.” Seriously, how does that even happen?
Before we dig into the nitty-gritty, let’s quickly recap what a Route is for those out of the loop. A Route in Pokémon GO is essentially a pre-mapped pathway created by Niantic, its official partners, or even fellow Trainers like you and me. Following these Routes can lead to unique Pokémon encounters and grant special bonuses. Plus, completing a Route rewards you with a snazzy badge featuring a custom photo from the start or end point. Not a bad deal, right?
So, the Route we’re talking about is nestled in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and was one of the most popular Routes in Australia. This 927-meter jaunt stretches from the Museum of Contemporary Art all the way to the iconic Sydney Opera House. According to the stats, it took about 21 minutes to complete and had been used a whopping 91,776 times. Yep, it was that popular. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Niantic slapped it with an “Inaccessible area” label and pulled it down.
But wait, there’s more. This isn’t an isolated incident. Several players have reported on Community Wayfarer that they are facing issues with their perfectly good Routes being rejected due to “Inaccessible area” excuses. What is the reason behind this, Niantic??
Niantic has been known for a lot of things, both praiseworthy and, well, head-scratchingly bizarre. This Route debacle might just be the pinnacle of their history of odd decisions. Routes were hailed as the next big thing, but what we’ve got instead is a buggy, almost unplayable feature that’s leaving Trainers frustrated. And the oversight? It’s almost like it’s been outsourced to broken AI tools and unpaid wayfarer reviewers. What happened to human touch, Niantic?
This incident raises several questions that demand answers. Are real humans making these decisions at Niantic, or are AI tools and chatbots running the show? And when players need help, why are they met with automated responses?
In an era where player feedback should be more important than ever, actions like these make us wonder, Niantic, who exactly are you listening to?
Routes are seriously the most tedious annoying thing ever introduced. Who wants to walk in a set direction that’s out of your way? Not me. They are completely inconvenient frankly. Hate them. The fact they are buggy makes them even worse.
Can I lend a guess. At least when it comes to this route, it’s in a known/high traffic’d spoof area, I think this is a testament with the 90k completions. I am wondering if they shut it down simply due to overwhelming use by spoofers.
The route were shut down not cause of inaccesibility.
That’s just the public statement.
Truth is, too many people cheat
I haven’t even tried a route yet lol
I had a route denied as inaccessible, it is literally a pedestrian path. It has Four gyms and like 7 stops on it.