Pokémon GO players manipulating mapping databases to catch Wiglett

The recent Pokémon GO updates have brought with them a slew of additions to the game but one that might have gotten lost in the hustle and bustle was the addition of a new yet familiar Pokémon from Scarlet and Violet.

The convergent evolution Wiglett was added to Pokémon GO to highlight the games new biomes feature, as the spotted eel Pokémon can only be found on beaches or the coastline reflecting it’s home environment in the Paldea region. This means that if Pokémon GO players want to catch themselves a wiggly friend they’ll have to hoof it to the nearest beach or lake, or so one would think.

As it turns out a lot of Pokémon GO fans are taking matters into their own hands and are manipulating the opensource mapping databases that Pokémon GO uses to make their homes beach front property. This was all discussed on a thread in the OpenStreetMap community forums, how are they so sure it’s Pokémon Go players behind these changes? Well in addition to the fact that this beach uprising started around the time of the Wiglett update many Pokémon fans were not subtle about their additions.

If this is all sounding a bit familiar to you that’s because similar changes happened back in 2016 when Pokémon GO was first released and at peak popularity. Many fans back then too tried to manipulate these databases to place more landmarks and thusly more PokéStops near them, all this ended with the offenders being met with the wrath of the ban hammer and it’s safe to assume a similar fate will befall these sandy shams.