Pokemon GO pleasantly surprised players with its 8-bit update yesterday. The feature was used for an April Fools ‘prank’, reverting the graphics of the popular, mobile-augmented game back into the nostalgic style that many fell in love with in the first place.
Sadly, the Pokemon GO 8 bit style ends April 7th, meaning there isn’t much time to bask in that sweet nostalgia with your friends that much longer. Nonetheless, while some will be sad to see the update go, there have been others who have complained that the reversion of style is utterly distracting and takes the fun and cute factor away from the Pokemon GO experience.
If that’s the case for you, then you at least won’t have to wait long for it to leave. One individual emailed the Pokemon GO support team to ask for an explanation. Their response was “we’re sorry for the confusion. If Pokemon GO is looking a bit silly today, it’s because we are celebrating April Fool’s day with a nostalgic tribute to Pokemon’s roots.” Further on the email ended with confirmation on when the graphics would return to normal. “Please note that all graphics will be restored after the celebrations end on April 7th, 2018.” That should please some people, though some nostalgic fans may disagree with them there.
What’s unfortunate is that there doesn’t seem to be any plan to introduce the 8 bit style as an added feature that could be toggled on. Granted it would mean a lot more work for the Pokemon GO team, but considering how popular the sprites have become (even with some outcries of hate) it will be sad to see them go. However, the Pokemon GO team does seem willing to listen to their fans, so perhaps it will be introduced sometime in the future. Keep your fingers crossed!
