Pokémon Go Creators Removing Some Locations In Effort To Be “Respectful” Of Reality

Since Pokémon Go launched earlier this month, the mobile game has sent out into the world in droves, seeking Pokemon, as well as “Pokéstops,” where they can stock up on Pokéballs. But those stops and gyms are all real life locations — and some of the people who live or work there aren’t exactly pleased with the new crowds.

While some businesses have embraced the new Pokéreality, others just want it to go away. Other places open to the public, like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan and the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., have even asked to be removed from the game.

So for those who don’t want all that attention, the game’s creators say they’ll be working on removing certain locations to stay respectful of the real world.

“When something is really popular, we have to figure out the most respectful way to deal with it and make sure that everyone is playing safely and doing things in a respectful manner,” said The Pokemon Company’s consumer marketing director J.C. Smith in an interview with the Associated Press.

Part of the problem is that with all the attention the game has received, he says, and all those folks playing it, “it’s tough to think of all the ways it could affect the world.”

He says the company initially focused on making sure the play experience was done right — addressing server issues and other technical aspects of the game.

“Now, we’re looking at features in the game and how to fine-tune them so that it’s appealing to the fans but also respectful of the private institutions that are affected by it,” Smith says.

Though he declined to set a timeline of when the updates will happen, changes have already happened at some locations: the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says the museum has already been removed from the game upon its request.

‘Pokemon Go’ creators working to be ‘respectful’ of reality [Associated Press]