The developers at Niantic accidentally released an avatar pose for free in Pokemon Go. Since then, they have removed the free pose and taken it away from players who previously had access. Naturally, many are furious at how this was handled.
Many players were surprised to find a button for the Pikachu PhD pose on February 8, 2024. Most of the community was delighted, as Niantic is generally hesitant to give out freebies. You can buy most cosmetics, accessories, and costumes from the in-game shop.
However, things took a turn for the worse when access to the Pikachu PhD pose was taken away and players could no longer find it. Niantic released an official statement that reads:
"Trainers, some upcoming exclusive avatar rewards were accidentally made available to all Trainers for a short time. These rewards are no longer available and will be removed from Trainer accounts. Details on how to acquire them will be coming soon. Thanks for understanding."
Naturally, players did not take kindly to this announcement, with many complaining about how they "can't have nice things". Meanwhile, others were outright annoyed stating:
"Yall really accidentally gave us it for free, then you're going to take it away from us, then sell it right back to us later on".
Dataminers have gone into the game files and figured out the actual requirements for the pose. If reports are to be believed, the Pikachu PhD pose is meant to be an award for those who get a certain Showcase Badge. While a far cry from being free, it's at least good to know that it's a free pose meant as an unlockable reward rather than something you'll have to pay for.
Niantic has already been catching a lot of heat for the recent performance issues in Pokemon Go and had to issue an apology statement shortly before this incident. The game might be in a bit of a messy state right now, but if you're still invested, be sure to learn about Shadow types and Lucky Eggs.