Pokémon GO players hit with bans for unknown reasons (UPDATE)

Pokémon GO players were gearing up for a big weekend with a bunch of fun events to get in on, but some have had their plans squashed due to bans that have left them baffled.

A number of Pokémon GO players have flocked to the internet to share that they’ve been warned, banned from the game for a week, or barred permanently. This ban claims that the user is “using modified client software or unauthorized third-party software in violation of Terms of Service.”

Numerous people hit with these warnings and bans have been looking for help from Niantic as to why they’ve received these notifications, as they’re claiming they’ve done nothing wrong. Over on Reddit, there’s quite a sizable amount of people dealing with the same issue, and it’s the amount of people impacted that makes this seem like a mistake on Niantic’s side rather than people breaking Terms of Service.

We don’t have any answers on this problem for the time being, but if Niantic comments or another explanation is shared, we’ll bring you the details.

UPDATE: Niantic addressed the ban warnings via social media and has said the problem “has been cleared from affected accounts and Trainers should now be able to play Pokémon GO normally.” Niantic also apologized for the inconvenience, but didn’t explain what caused the problem in the first place.