Summary
- Pokemon Go players are upset about ticketed events for exclusive Pokemon, like Zarude, and feel nickel and dimed by Niantic.
- While some players push back on microtransactions, Pokemon Go is considered under-monetized compared to other mobile games.
- Players wish for better rewards in paid events and a more pay-to-win system to increase motivation and enjoyment in the game.
I’m back on the Pokemon Go grind after a lengthy hiatus, which means I’m also back🦩 to complaining about Pokemon Go. Any hardcore Go player will tell you that part of loving this game is whining about every little change Niantic makes and perpetually pining for the good old days (when we used to complain about different things) while continuing to pour our time, money, and miles into a game that makes us angry every time we play it. It’s hard work being a hater, but someone – or everyone, rather – has to do it.
The thing Pokemon Go players are mad about right now is the announcement of a new ticketed event called Verdant Wonders, which rewards players with a Zarude. The ticket is $8 and the included special research assignment includes a few consumables lik🃏e premium battle passes and silver Pinap Berries, but really, you’re paying the $8 to get Zarude.
It Sucks That Our Expectatio🙈ns For Pokemon Are So Low
The beloved series ෴could finally be changing for the better with Legends: Z-A.
Zarude was first introduced tꦦo Pokemon Go in 2021. When Secrets of the Jungle premiered on Netflix, Go players could complete a free tie-in research assignment, and were rewarded with the opportunity to capture Zarude. Three years later, the Rogue Monkey Pokemon is back, only this time you’ll have to cough up some cash to get it.
Secrets๊ of the Jungle was, sa𝐆dly the final Pokemon movie.
Frustration about monetization in Pokemon Goও is nothing new. Niantic has increased the number of ticketed events significantly over the last year, and the sentiment among the community is that many things that would have been free in the past are now paywalled. Zarude is just the latest example of a bigger trend that’s leaving people feeling nickel and dimed.
I can see where they’re coming from. Verdant Wonders isn’t even live yet, but when you open the in-game shop you’ll find presales for the Pokemon Go Fest 2024 global ticket, and the Wonder Ticket, which is a paid seasonal event that didn’t exist in the game a few years ago. You can still buy item boxes, cosmetic items, consumables like remote raid passes, egg incubator🐠s, and Poke Balls, and, my least-favorite type of microtransaction in Pokemon Go, extra space in your item bag and Pokemon storage.
I don’t feel strongly about Niantic charging the equivalent of a Venti Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino for a second chance at Zarude though. In fact, Pokemon Go is dramatically under-monetized within the mobile game market. Pushing back on microtransactions is good and I’m happy to see the community holding the line, at least among the extremely online vocal minority, but if you’ve ever gotten sucked into a gacha game before, it’s hard to be that mad at the way Pokemon Go makes money.
In fact, I’ll take it a step further and say I wish I could spend more money in Pokemon Go, I just don’t see the value. I got a Zarude for free back in 2021, so I won’t be participating in that event. I don’t have a problem getting consumables from Poke Stops, so I’d never shell out for extra Incense or Lucky Eggs. Occasionally I’ll buy incubators when there’s a decent sale, but otherwise, the only time I spend money in Pokemon Go is a few dollars here and there for event tickets. I know Go Fest tickets went from $5 to $15 over the last three years, but that’s something I only buy once a year. My rent went up $175 per month this year. I just🍸ꦓ can’t find it in me to get that mad at Pokemon Go over this. I have to save that energy for Netflix, Amazon, and Disney.
I’d like to spend more money in Pokemon Go, but I need better stuff to spend money on. Research Assignments are great. They give me short term goals that keep me playing and little hits of serotonin every time I cross something off the list. I’d buy the Wonder Ticket in a heartbeat if the rewards were better. Iꦺ don’t need Beedrill, Galarian Slowpoke, Lucky Eggs, or a Poipole helmet, I need Legendaries, Shinies, Candy XL, XP, and Stardust. The event advertises 20,000 XP and 10,000 Stardust, but I need 2,000,000 XP to geꦚt to my next level and 12,000 Stardust to increase my strongest Pokemon’s CP just once. The existing prizes just don’t move the needle for me.
Pokemon Go could stand to be a little more pay-to-win. Monster Hunter Now is introducing a battle pass for Season One, and I🀅’d love something like that in Pokemon Go to help motivate me to play more frequently and, ideally, speed up my XP and Stardust collecting. I’m not mad about Niantic increasing monetization in Go, I just wish there were better things to buy.
