Pokemon GO developer Niantic will pay $4,000,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit which was raised against the company when the game first launched back in 2016.
For those of you who played back then, you might remember that the early days of Pokemon GO's release was slightly dampened when reports of dangerous play and trespassing caused some official complaints against the developer. Legal proceedings were initiated by twelve plaintiffs who had been affected by the game's release, including one person who reported that a large number of players had knocked on their door asking to catch the Pokemon that were in their backyard.
The majority of Niantic's payout will reportedly go towards the legal fees incurred, leaving the twelve plaintiffs with only a little over $1,000 each for their troubles. The official settlement notes that no further litigation will take place, mentioning that the case "presented novel issues of law regarding virtual trespass that have been untested in the courts".
Niantic will however implement a new online reporting system in attempts to prevent future trespassing. They say that 95% of complaints issued through the website will be handled within 15 days, and has also committed to removing all PokeStops close to single-family homes, with a promise that no more will be added to such locations going forward.