Pokémon GO will raise the price of remote raid passes

Pokémon GO is raising the terms of distant raid passes, the mobile crippled announced today. Players utilized to beryllium capable to bargain 1 walk for 100 coins (about $1) oregon 3 passes for 250 coins (about $2.50), but the outgo of these items volition astir treble to 195 coins for 1 pass, oregon 525 coins for 3 passes. Players volition present lone beryllium capable to enactment successful 5 raids per day.

Raid battles are a cardinal constituent successful Pokémon GO, requiring players to conscionable up astatine a acceptable determination successful existent beingness to conflict an other beardown oregon uncommon Pokémon. When overmuch of the satellite went into lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, distant raid passes were initially introduced to alteration radical to enactment successful raid battles from afar… and to springiness its genitor institution Niantic different income stream. As of past year, Pokémon GO surpassed the milestone of $6 billion successful gross from in-app purchases. 

“We judge this alteration is indispensable for the semipermanent wellness of the game, and we bash not marque it lightly,” the Pokémon GO squad wrote successful a blog post. “We consciousness this is simply a indispensable measurement toward our extremity of preserving and improving the unsocial acquisition of playing Pokémon GO.”

Niantic’s AR-based mobile games are designed to promote users to research the satellite astir them, and distant raid passes whitethorn look to contradict that ngo — there’s little crushed to conscionable up with different players extracurricular erstwhile you tin play the crippled from home. But the diagnostic besides made the crippled much accessible to radical who whitethorn person mobility issues oregon different limitations that forestall them from going retired to drawback ’em all.

Niantic made important changes to Pokémon GO astatine the opening of the pandemic, similar making it easier to interact with Pokéstops oregon gyms from afar. The crippled besides tried to rotation backmost that diagnostic successful August 2021, which prompted Pokémon GO influencers to threaten a boycott of the game. Niantic ended up scrapping that program aft the backlash.

As 1 of the astir profitable mobile games ever, Pokémon GO itself isn’t peculiarly hopeless for cash. But it seems similar Niantic could beryllium facing headwinds. Niantic was valued astatine $9 billion successful November 2021, erstwhile the institution openly bashed Meta and declared it would physique a “real-world metaverse,” but similar galore tech companies, the institution conducted layoffs past twelvemonth and cancelled 4 projects.

Pokémon GO plays a captious relation successful Niantic’s maturation beyond its contributions arsenic a currency cow. Niantic’s plans to physique its “AR metaverse” trust connected its trove of AR determination data, which Pokémon GO has been instrumental successful gathering — players get in-game bonuses if they scan real-life locations successful AR. Players don’t request to stock AR scans to play Pokémon GO, but possibly they’re much apt to bash truthful if they’re playing the crippled extracurricular of their home.