The recent and permanent change to spawn distance in Pokemon GO will greatly affect the way players engage with the game in the future. With fans expressing their desire for improvements and expressing concerns over the game's content and quality updates, Niantic appears to be heeding these requests by implementing changes that are favored by the community.
The recent update, version 0.275.0, has brought about a significant change to Pokemon GO. The update has doubled the spawn distance, allowing players to now see Pokemon within an 80-meter range. Initially, there were concerns among players that this change might be temporary or accidental, but it has been confirmed by a Niantic representative, as stated by Pokemon GO content creator PokeDaxi on Twitter, that the increased spawn radius is here to stay.
This change came as a surprise, as there was no prior announcement from Niantic. It greatly impacts the core gameplay, particularly for players in rural areas who no longer have to be in close proximity to PokeStops and Gyms in order to encounter Pokemon. Conversely, players in urban areas now experience a higher frequency of Pokemon appearing wherever they happen to be. It should be mentioned that the GOPlus and auto-catchers are unaffected by this update, as they still maintain a 40-meter radius, according to Pokemon GO Hub.
The Pokemon GO community has long been requesting quality-of-life updates, and the latest update is a much-needed change that is warmly welcomed. Previous updates to the game have been relatively minor and have not met fans' expectations, with no information from Niantic regarding future updates. However, this surprise update has been received positively by the players, giving hope for an improved future of the game. Pokemon GO is currently available for iOS and Android mobile devices.
Source: Pokemon GO Hub