The revenue from Pokémon Go noticeably dropped last month, reaching its lowest level in over five years

According to Mobilegamer.biz, Niantic's revenue for the month of April was $34.7 million, making it the 12th highest-grossing mobile game in the world. However, this is a significant decrease compared to March's revenue of $42.8 million, which itself was a substantial drop from the $57.9 million earned in February. Mobilegamer.biz notes that the game's revenue seems to fluctuate every month with the launch of new in-game events, but a 40% decrease over a two-month period is still uncharacteristic for a game that has always been popular.

One possible reason for the sharp decline could be the negative reaction to Niantic's decision to change the way Remote Raids work, which some have called a "tax on disability." Remote Raids were introduced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for players to participate in Raids without leaving their homes. For some players, this also increased the accessibility of the game for disabled or immunocompromised players who would find it difficult to leave their homes to play the game even when there was no pandemic.

On March 30th, Niantic announced that they plan to increase the price of Remote Raid Passes and limit the number of Remote Raids to five per day. Niantic explained that this decision was made to preserve and enhance the unique gaming experience in Pokemon Go. In this regard, the company stated that Remote Raid Passes began to dominate the gameplay in Pokemon Go in a way they did not intend.

Although Niantic's decision to limit the number of Remote Raid Passes and increase their cost seems aimed at encouraging players to go outside and visit raid locations in real life, some players have noted that this will have a negative impact on those with limited abilities.

"The company Niantic is essentially imposing a disability tax by raising the cost of playing Pokemon Go remotely and limiting the amount of play," wrote Steve Spohn, the Chief Operating Officer of AbleGamers, when the change was first announced.

"If you cannot leave your home or live in an inaccessible area, playing Pokemon Go will be expensive for you, and you won't be able to play much."