Highlights
Pokemon GO players are upset with Niantic as the price of Pokecoins in the in-game store appears to have increased without any prior communication.
The rise in price could potentially deter players from buying Pokecoins, which are utilized for purchasing Event Boxes and enhancing their Pokemon capturing abilities. Niantic's failure to effectively communicate the price adjustment has greatly disappointed numerous players, especially considering Pokemon GO's reputation for community engagement.
Niantic has faced backlash from Pokemon GO players for raising the price of Pokecoins in the in-game store. Although the price hike itself is not significant, fans of the popular mobile game are disappointed by Niantic's lack of communication regarding the planned change. Pokemon GO has evolved over the past seven years, introducing new features such as Raid Battles and the GO Battle League, as well as organizing seasonal events for occasions like Halloween and New Year's. Pokecoins are used to acquire Event Boxes, which contain various items to aid in Pokemon capture. Given the discontent among players regarding the increased prices, it is possible that they may opt to forgo purchasing these items.
Reddit user Excellent-Pumpkin-15, who is also a Pokemon Go player, observed a price hike in Pokecoins. This increase in cost has caused outrage among players, leading some to seek alternative methods of earning Pokecoins within the app. The change has resulted in Excellent-Pumpkin-15 having to pay nearly twice the original amount, which amounts to an additional 69c. The community has expressed their frustrations within the Reddit post, with some individuals declaring their decision to no longer spend money on the mobile app. Previously, the option to purchase Pokecoins for only 99c was considered the best choice by players. Interestingly, some users have not encountered any price modifications for Pokecoins in-game, which has raised suspicions that this increase is limited to specific regions.
As Pokemon Go holds a significant appeal for many players, this abrupt price adjustment by Niantic is viewed as a bold move. Prior to the change, Niantic had not provided any prior announcement or statement indicating this alteration was forthcoming. Whether this was intentional or not remains speculative, with fans simply discussing their opinions on the matter within the Reddit post. This price increase goes against the nature of Pokemon Go, which revolves around community involvement and meeting new people, ultimately leaving many players dissatisfied.
Niantic has caused dissatisfaction among players by announcing that Pokemon GO will no longer be compatible with older Android 7 devices. This news comes at a time when the game is regularly introducing new content and events, leading to disappointment among some players.
Meanwhile, Epic Games has recently raised prices for microtransactions in Fortnite, citing reasons like inflation. The key difference between Epic Games and Niantic is that Epic took the initiative to inform their playerbase about the price increase. It remains to be seen if Niantic will follow suit and communicate with the Pokemon GO community regarding this change.
Pokemon GO is available now for Android and iOS.
Source: Dexerto