Pokemon Go players fear subscription-based future is inevitable
NianticPokemon Go players are worried about the future of the game and have expressed their concern about the possibility of it turning into a subscription-type mobile game.
For Pokemon Go players, the constant rain of content drops that have occurred during the Timeless Travels season doesn’t seem to be enough to divert their attention from the current state of the game. Pokemon trainers have repeatedly manifested discomfort with some of the changes made to the game.
However, the latest concern among the Pokemon Go player community is the possibility of the game turning to a subscription-based economy. This would leave many free-to-play fans stranded or, at least, lock them away from content progressively.
Niantic’s way of implementing more and more microtransactions in the game is a subject that many players have called out on several occasions, but this time, TheSilphRoad community has burst with a heated debate about the future of the game.
The OP explained why they think Pokemon Go is steadily transitioning into a subscription-based model: “Monthly paid tickets awarding premium items (after heavily nerfing/removing ‘free’ premium items from the weekly/daily bonuses from a long while ago).”
And also added: “Seemingly every event now split between a barebones ‘free’ version’ and a paid ticketed version awarding lucrative encounter chances and premium items (not counting Community Day).”
To summarize, players also discussed how Special Event/Access tickets were good in the past, as they had meaning and granted access to exclusive events. But now, players believe that everything is microtransaction-locked or, to be precise: “locked behind a ticket.”
Other players think this is not just a feeling, but a fact: “Doesn’t just feel like. This has been growing increasingly true since the remote raid nerf last year. Sad to see.”
Recently, Niantic has silently removed a fan-favorite feature, which also sparked another discussion on how the devs deal with player retention and community engagement.
There’s no official confirmation about the fears of the Pokemon Go community, but we will keep you posted for future changes and the latest news about the game.
In the meantime, here’s a guide on how to beat Thundurus Therian Raids, and this is all you need to know about the upcoming Pokemon Go Spotlight Hour.
