Pokémon GO maker Niantic this week announced some major price increases to Remote Raid passes on the popular iPhone game that has fans so vexed they're planning to boycott the game.
"We want to give you a heads-up about changes coming to Pokémon GO’s Remote Raid Passes," the company stated in a press release. Plans to "rebalance the game and ensure it’s enjoyed by Trainers for years to come" involve some severe price adjustments for Remote Raid Passes, with a three-pack now costing 525 PokéCoins.
A single Remote Raid Pass is now 195 PC and a Premium Battle Pass three-pack is now 250 PC.
Remote Raid participation limits have also been introduced, with trainers now limited to a maximum of five per day, with further restrictions on how you can earn Remote Raid Passes as rewards in-game.
Niantic says that since their introduction in 2020 "Remote Raid Passes have come to dominate the experience of playing Pokémon GO in a way we never intended" and says the change "is necessary for the long-term health of the game." Fans, however, are furious.
Fan backlash
A post in the Pokémon GO subreddit that states "That’s it… I’m not spending money on this game anymore…" has 10,000 upvotes in just 14 hours. Another said "that's one way to shut down your own game Niantic", and still another lamented "the most insulting part is that after increasing the price for decreased functionality, they had the nerve to explain to all us idiots that this is "for our benefit."
In fact, users are so up in arms that some are planning to boycott the game, organizing a strike to protect the increases.
Pokemon Go users are organising a "strike" to protest massive price increases and restrictions on raid features, per an update from @NianticLabs. #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/SitlcLpJ5gMarch 31, 2023
"We're all aware of the predatory monetization schemes in the game shop with overpriced boxes and items", says a flier circulating online. "This would be a dire change for all of us and especially rural players."
The strike calls for players to boycott remote and premium raid passes and to spread the word. All of the top posts on the PoGo subreddit are negative responses to Niantic's move. It remains to be seen whether Niantic will reverse course given the extensive backlash to its new plans. As it stands, these changes are set to take effect from 11 am PDT on April 6.
