close
close

Pokemon Go players shocked by surprise bans: “This is so unfair”

Pokemon Go players shocked by surprise bans: “This is so unfair”

What should have been a big Gigantamax weekend Pokémon Go players has proven to be a disaster for some after many Pokemon fans were greeted with unexpected warnings and bans on Saturday. Before the Gigantamax events could start, Pokémon Go players received notifications that they had used unauthorized third-party programs or otherwise violated the rules. Some Pokémon Go players were lucky to get away with just a “warning” even though they said it was a mistake anyway, but those who were less lucky were banned completely, causing them to miss the Gigatantamax weekend.

The Pokémon Go warnings about alleged illicit activity appeared on Saturday as players were preparing to Gigantamax. One player posted a screenshot of his message on Reddit stating that he had been given a seven-day warning, during which time his account would be monitored. If they mess up again, they risk a ban.

Videos from ComicBook.com

“We have detected activity on your account that indicates that you are using custom client software or unauthorized third-party software that violates our Terms of Service,” the notice said. “This is the first attack on your account. It will take about 7 more days. We strongly recommend that you discontinue this activity. Any further violation will result in account suspension.”

The player said they didn’t do anything to warrant this attack, which is usually what people say when they’re at risk of losing access Pokémon Gobut in this case (and in many other cases today) these appear to be false warnings. Many other players within the Pokémon Go subreddit confirmed these types of reports, saying they had also received warnings and in some cases even been banned outright.

“I was in the middle of a raid a few hours ago when my account was suspended,” said one Pokémon Go said player. “I’ve been playing since day 1, never cheated, I don’t even know how to cheat in this game. I’ve filed an appeal, but haven’t heard anything yet. 30 days for no reason.”

a gigantamax venusaur in pokemon go.

While you would expect that to be the top Pokémon Go Today’s subreddit post was supposed to be about Gigantamax Venusaur, Gigantamax Charizard and Gigantamax Blastoise, the post is instead about this fake ban issue. That’s pretty much everyone say the same thing there – they haven’t done anything wrong, and Niantic isn’t helping much beyond sending canned responses urging players to follow the rules. No one knows why they are being banned or if these bans will continue, but many players are receiving 30-day bans. If these are not reversed, it means that those affected Pokémon Go players will not only miss the Gigantamax events, but also the Halloween events that are also starting.

Past Pokémon Go events have rarely gone off without a hitch, and in most cases, if something goes terribly wrong, events can be rescheduled or players can receive some form of compensation to make up for lost time. Once the Gigantamax weekend is over, it wouldn’t be surprising to see something similar happen regarding all these bans.