An Unexpected Wave of Shadow Bans Infuriates Pokémon Go Users Globally

Pokémon Go comes straight from the franchise of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, published by Niantic, Inc. Players go out to their backyards or explore their streets to catch the augmented reality (AR) pocket monsters, tame them, and ready them for battles.

Recently, players all across the globe have been facing an unexpected wave of week-long shadowbans. Some have reported that they have been rightfully banned from accessing or playing Pokémon Go games as they were involved in prohibited activities. But there also have been reports of innocent players who allegedly played in a fair manner and yet they faced a ban without any reason.

Users turned to Twitter, pleading with the platform not to ban them as they have been playing the game and catching pocket monsters fairly.

@NianticLabs
My trainer name is casascamila please I play pokemon go by going outside and walking and going car rides please don’t ban me and don’t suspend from pokemon go I never spoofed in pokemon go

— Golenmushe (@golenmushe) May 26, 2021

The augmented reality game has a three-strike anti-cheat policy. The first strike usually results in a 7-day temporary ban. In the second strike, Niantic bans the Pokémon Go player for up to 30 days, and with the third strike the player ends up losing the account permanently.

Niantic has a strict policy against cheaters and spoofers, users who spoof their geo-location, to trick the system and play the game without moving an inch. Earlier this year, Niantic penalized over 5 million players across Pokémon Go, Harry Potter Wizards Unite, and Ingress due to cheating. According to the company, 20% of the accounts were banned permanently.

Niantic also reported that the aggressive ban did not discourage the players, but on the contrary, 90% of the players dropped the prohibited activity altogether after the penalty.

But this time around, the anti-cheat system seems to be penalizing both cheaters and innocent players alike. Players have reportedly contacted Niantic customer support with inquiries regarding the same but to no avail.