Summary
Pokemon GOplayers have expressed their disappointment with the game’s upcoming Verdant Wonders Special Research event featuring the mythical Zarude. While most events, such asWeather Week inPokemon GOthat’s happening just before Verdant Wonders, are regular instances that are free for all players to join, many have begun to notice that the game has been ramping up its pay-to-play side lately.
Pokemon GO,released back in 2016, remains fairly popular with franchise fans nearly eight years since its launch. Developer Niantic has taken many steps to improve the overall game experience, despite a somewhat controversial early stage, with the steady addition of most Pokemon across all generations. Today,Pokemon GOboasts around 9 million active players online every day, according to the latest stats from the beginning of 2024.
After the announcement of the Verdant Wonders event,Pokemon GOplayers have already started sounding the alarms about yet another microtransaction just to participate. Players such as Redditor Foulmouth232 have taken to posting their frustrations on r/pokemongo, with many others disagreeing with the $7.99 price point of the event just to get Zarude, a Mythical Pokemon introduced inPokemon Sword and Shield.This actually isn’t the first timePokemon GOhas done a paid Zarude Special Research Event, with players complaining about the cost when it was first done in 2021.
Should Pokemon GO Scale Back Microtransactions?
Players have long complained about microtransactions in most modern games, but items and features inPokemon GOremain popular purchases for many, with the latest data from the team showing that it’s made around $225 million across the world in 2023 alone. This success may be due to reasonably priced common in-game items and currency, but players may not be as willing to pay for other things that cost more, such as remote raid passes and event tickets. Given the consistent success ofPokemon GO, many fans are left confused as to why Niantic would still choose to keep milking them for even more money.
Niantic and Nintendo are even set to make a lot of profit from theupcomingPokemon GOFest, this year’s iteration of the annual fan celebration to be held in New York City; Sendai, Japan; and Madrid, Spain in May, June, and July respectively. Special event Pokemon will be the stars of the festival, with the legendary Marshadow from Generation 7 finally making itsPokemon GOdebut. Fans can expect a lot of big news surrounding these major events this year, but as per usual, most of them will likely come with a price.
WHERE TO PLAY
Now you can battle other Pokémon GO trainers online! Try the GO Battle League today. Join Trainers across the globe who are discovering Pokémon as they explore the world around them. Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 1 billion times and named “Best Mobile Game” by the Game Developers Choice Awards and “Best App of the Year” by TechCrunch
UNCOVER THE WORLD OF POKÉMON: Explore and discover Pokémon wherever you are! CATCH more Pokémon to complete your Pokédex! JOURNEY alongside your Buddy Pokémon to help make your Pokémon stronger and earn rewards! COMPETE in epic Gym battles and… TEAM UP and UNITE with other Trainers to catch powerful Pokémon during Raid Battles!It’s time to get moving—your real-life adventures await! Let’s GO
