Niantic has issued a response after thousands of Pokemon Go fans boycotted the app due to revised interaction distances for PokéStops and Gyms. During the height of the pandemic, these distances were changed from 40 meters to 80 meters to enable players to claim rewards and battle without having to travel too far. With restrictions easing though, the company started to revert back these changes in the U.S. and New Zealand.
Within a blog post, Niantic said "we have heard your input loud and clear" and outlined several plans to address the controversy. The post states: "We are assembling an internal cross-functional team to develop proposals designed to preserve our mission of inspiring people to explore the world together, while also addressing specific concerns that have been raised regarding interaction distance. We will share the findings of this task force by the next in game season change (September 1)."
Fortunately, the resolution to this issue should be a speedy one and it's great to see that Niantic has taken the time to address it rather than just looking the other way.