Play at home: Is Pokemon Go going to lose its pandemic-era changes?

In future, Pokemon Go players will need to head outside again more often. Some of the games pandemic-era changes allowing you to play indoors will remain, however. — Silas Stein/dpa

The 2016 augmented reality game hit Pokemon Go was designed as an outdoor game where you walk around your own neighbourhood in search of digital creatures you can only see on your smartphone.

Then came the pandemic, and suddenly the game's fans, still playing long after the hype faded, were forced to hunt Pokemon from indoors during the lockdown. To keep players engaged, developer Niantic allowed the mobile gamers stay home and still catch Pokemon.