Niantic Campfire 12+

Absolutely useless. Worked normal for a few days but on the day where there are legendary raids the app doesn’t work - of course .

Appalling standard .

Niantic’s Campfire app, designed to connect players of its popular games like Pokémon GO and Ingress, has flopped just like every other Niantic project. Their only success is Pokémon Go, and that’s purely because of the brand name beside it.

Firstly, the app is plagued by technical issues. Users frequently report glitches and crashes that disrupt their experience. The app often fails to function on critical event days, such as Mega Garchomp Day, where numerous users were unable to host or join raids despite being in the correct locations. This unreliability has left many players frustrated and unable to participate in key gameplay moments.

Additionally, the user interface is poorly designed. Navigation is cumbersome, with essential features like raid filters and navigation buttons either missing or not intuitive. For instance, users must zoom in excessively to see ongoing raids, which limits their ability to efficiently plan and participate in multiple raids. Notifications are another problematic area; many users find themselves unable to locate or manage notifications effectively within the app, leading to missed opportunities and confusion.

The app’s social features also fall short. Despite being intended as a central hub for Niantic’s gaming communities, Campfire struggles with low adoption rates. Players have already established their communities on other platforms such as Discord and Facebook, making it difficult for Campfire to gain traction. Moreover, the app does not offer sufficient incentives to switch from these established platforms, resulting in fragmented communities and continued reliance on third-party apps for organizing raids and events.

Another major issue is the lack of scalability and flexibility. Players can only connect with local users unless they arrange interactions through other means, which diminishes the app’s potential to foster a global community. The need for more comprehensive search and filter options to find specific raids or players is a recurring request that remains unaddressed.

In summary, while Niantic’s Campfire has the potential to enhance the gaming experience by connecting players and organizing events, its current state is far from ideal. The app is hindered by technical glitches, a confusing user interface, poor social integration, and limited functionality. Niantic must address these issues promptly to realize the app’s full potential and satisfy its user base.