Niantic reversing Pokémon Go banwave that caught innocent players

Pokémon Go developer Niantic say it’s working to revert strikes that have resulted in suspensions and bans for players of the mobile AR game who were unjustly punished by the game’s anti-cheat system. In a statement posted to Twitter on Monday, Niantic said that players who have been affected will have strikes against their accounts removed “automatically, whether or not they have contacted us.”

“We apologize for the error,” Niantic said.

Pokémon Go players have complained to Niantic’s support staff and on forums like Reddit’s The Silph Road that they’ve been banned or suspended from the game unfairly. Some players have suspected that their usage of other versions of Apple’s iOS (specifically iOS 12 and a beta version of iOS 15) is being flagged by Niantic’s automated system. That included a prominent Pokémon Go player, Daniel “Spieletrend” Schilling, who previously partnered with Niantic for Pokémon Go Fest.

Niantic’s tweet about reversing Pokémon Go strikes has dozens of responses from players who say they too have been banned, with some of them missing out on this month’s Go Fest event over false flags on their accounts. Niantic has not announced any make-good plans for players who may have been affected by its overzealous cheat-detection systems.

Thanks to the many tipsters who wrote in to highlight Pokémon Go’s recent ban issues.