Pokémon players are unhappy with content being blocked behind paywalls during the upcoming Pokémon Go Circuit: Sinnoh event, which is scheduled to take place in February.
Pokémon Go is a free game with an incredible amount of content that you can experience without ever paying a cent. That said, some of the best or most practical content is kept behind paywalls.
Niantic does this by offering paid upgrades for basic features, as well as Special Studies that you can only undertake by spending real money. Some of the best items from seasonal events require obtaining these tickets, including a valuable Master Ball.
Squeezing every penny from the fanbase hasn’t gone unnoticed, with fans criticizing the increasing monetization Niantic is building into Pokémon Go, including through an upcoming event.
Pokémon Go players hate Sinnoh Circuit’s paywalls
A user on the Pokémon Go Reddit created a thread criticizing the upcoming events Pokémon Go Circuit: Sinnoh and Road to Sinnoh. Many fans have criticized Paid Studies, preemptively saying it’s bad because of paywalls and things being blocked in regions, in this case, Los Angeles.
the sinnoh tour already sucks byu/dino_nuggie_goblin inpokemongo
“It’s too expensive for me but this situation has been going on for a year or more. Honnen Circuit in Las Vegas and Go Fest (in New York, Osaka and London) also had this paywall with the add-ons,” one user said, “I probably would have bought the base ticket if I I was elsewhere like Osaka or London but certainly not Los Angeles or Las Vegas.”
“The Go Circuit Kanto and Johto were awesome,” according to one user “They were real ‘catch ’em all’ events and had a lot of bonuses. Yes, they were paid, but they were also enjoyable. Hoenn was just bad and Sinnoh will be the first to not have all the Pokémon released, especially not their shiny ones.”
“If the event doesn’t mean I complete the Pokédex…I won’t buy the ticket,” one user wrote, “Simple as that. I don’t care about px or anything or even shinys to be honest ‘catch em all’ that’s why I play. If a regional event doesn’t complete the dex, it’s useless to me… it just proves that all their events become void.”
“I was spending almost £5 a week on events (I did almost all of them so there were a few crazy weeks) and when I actually took the time to look at what I was getting I realized how scammed I was. For example, the guaranteed shiny now seems to just be a higher chance of a shiny which often means I don’t even get one. So now I don’t buy any events that don’t guarantee something like a particular shiny or Pokémon.”
Fans don’t mind paying for content when it has value, but Pokémon Go fans often express disbelief in how Niantic has monetized the game, whether through the lack of content or the limited time it is available, and Pokémon from the Sinnoh region are no exception.
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