In this week’s episode, Jamal and Chris dive into Niantic’s controversial experiment of adding PokéStops directly to street corners and bus stops in select U.S. areas, weighing the potential benefits for underserved communities against concerns around criteria, fairness, safety, and visual clutter. They break down what this could mean for Wayfarer’s philosophy, reviewer morale, and future map growth—plus what success (or failure) of the test might signal long-term.
Jamal and Chris also spotlight Niantic’s newly launched Wayfarer M...
In this week’s episode, Jamal and Chris dive into Niantic’s controversial experiment of adding PokéStops directly to street corners and bus stops in select U.S. areas, weighing the potential benefits for underserved communities against concerns around criteria, fairness, safety, and visual clutter. They break down what this could mean for Wayfarer’s philosophy, reviewer morale, and future map growth—plus what success (or failure) of the test might signal long-term.
Jamal and Chris also spotlight Niantic’s newly launched Wayfarer Map, now the default landing page for Wayfinders, which lets players search the globe, filter by game-specific objects, and distinguish between community-submitted and Niantic-added locations. They discuss how the detailed info panels, satellite views, and reporting tools could transform scouting, improve nomination accuracy, and influence how players explore new areas—while also touching on early questions around privacy, data accuracy, and long-term gameplay impact.
Links: https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/t/testing-new-wayspots-in-pokemon-go/109242
Stick around for:
✅ Spatial / Scopely News
✅ One's Gotta Go
✅ Wayspots / Coal of the Week
✅ Dad Jokes (of course!)
Show Credits Hosts: Jamal Harvey & Chris Bell
Writer: Jamal Harvey
Producer: Jamal Harvey
Executive Producer: Kate Konz
Show Historian: Matty G
Recorded: 29 Jan 2026
Published: 1 Feb 2026
Season 5, Episode 3
Contact Us wayspotters@pokemonprofessor.com
Voicemail / SMS: 704-426-3710
Support the Show
Patreon: patreon.com/PokemonProfessor
Website: wayspotters.com
Follow! Instagram: @wayspotterspodcast Twitter/X: @wayspotters TikTok: @imakewayspots YouTube: @WayspottersPodcast Twitch: twitch.tv/pokemonprofessornetwork
Community & Friends Wayfarer Discord: discord.gg/niawayfarer German Wayfarer Discord: discord.gg/ThTZCZH5 Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/2241761169257836 Solstice: 🎧 Spotify Episode • 📸 Unsplash Agent X on TikTok: @agentx_wayfinder Chris Bell’s Articles: pokemongohub.net/post/author/glawhantojar Niantic Wayfarer: @NianticWayfarer
Music CreditsIntro: “Game Over” – Danijel ZamboBreak: Heavy Trap Drum Loops – LoopmastersOutro: “Itty Bitty 8 Bit” – Kevin MacLeodAdditional: Spanish Hard Trap – Steve Oxen
Vocal Recordings © Pokémon Professor Network 2025
Pokémon and all respective names © Nintendo 1996–2025. Pokémon GO © Niantic, Inc. Wayspotters & Pokémon Professor Network are not affiliated with Niantic, The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, or Nintendo.
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