Pokémon Go developer plans to fix ‘bug’ that makes creatures run away more often

If you’ve played Pokémon Go from the beginning, you’ve probably noticed that those little buggers are getting harder to catch in recent days. Well, it turns out that is due to a glitch.

Developer Niantic took to Twitter today to confirm to players that they aren’t all paranoid and that pocket monsters are now harder to catch due to a bug in the game. The studio revealed that this glitch causes a number of problems. It makes your throws less accurate, it omits the XP bonuses for certain throws, and it increases the odds that certain monsters will escape. Pokémon Go is one of the most popular and highest-grossing games ever made for iOS or Android devices. It is making $10 million every day across the globe, but it could quickly lose that momentum if it frustrates and even enrages players. An unresolved bug could hurt retention and engagement, which are crucial for getting players to spend money in the $36.9 billion mobile-gaming business.

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Trainers, a new bug affecting throw accuracy increases the odds of escape and omits the XP bonus. We are working on a fix, stay tuned…

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 4, 2016

Niantic revealed the details about this glitch just 24 hours after launching in Latin America. The studio only employs around 60 people, and it has largely focused its efforts on the global rollout. But now, with Pokémon Go in nearly every major country on earth, the studio should have some spare bandwidth to focus on maintenance and improving the quality of the game, which many people — even diehard fans — have complained about.

We’ve reached out to Niantic to ask for more details about this bug and when players can expect the fix. We’ll update this post with any new information.