Niantic, the developer behind Pokémon Go, has explained why it made several changes to the game in the latest update. The update removed footprints of nearby pokémon, and limited access to third-party services. Niantic states that both changes were geared toward improving the design and quality of service of the game.
Niantic's servers were unable to handle the massive influx of users that made their way to the game following its debut in early July. From the Facebook post:
We have removed the '3-step' display in order to improve upon the underlying design. The original feature, although enjoyed by many, was also confusing and did not meet our underlying product goals. We will keep you posted as we strive to improve this feature.We have limited access by third-party services which were interfering with our ability to maintain quality of service for our users and to bring Pokémon GO to users around the world.
Pokémon Go is not available in major global markets, including Brazil and India, and Niantic has stated that the game will make its way to additional countries shortly:
The large number of users has made the roll-out of Pokémon GO around the world an... interesting… challenge. And we aren't done yet! Yes, Brazil, we want to bring the game to you (and many other countries where it is not yet available).We have read your posts and emails and we hear the frustration from folks in places where we haven't launched yet, and from those of you who miss these features. We want you to know that we have been working crazy hours to keep the game running as we continue to launch globally.
