Some Pokemon GO players are calling for fans to hold a 'strike' or boycott in protest over Niantic's unpopular changes to how the game is monetized.
Pokemon GO players are organizing a "strike" to protest unpopular changes Niantic is making to the game. The strike, more accurately described as a short-term boycott, comes in response to Niantic's upcoming price increase on Remote Raid Passes but also protests the game’s monetization policy in general.
Niantic launched its popular augmented reality game Pokemon GO in 2016, allowing players to catch, train, and battle Pokemon by walking around in the real world. One of that year's most popular and profitable mobile apps, it saw more than 500 million worldwide downloads in 2016 alone. It accrued over a billion downloads by 2019, with over $6 billion in revenue by 2020. Niantic has kept the game going with regular events and updates adding new content. While many of these new features are regarded as improvements to Pokemon GO, the same cannot be said for its monetization policies.
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Some Pokemon GO players are attempting to organize what they are calling a "strike" to make Niantic reverse its recent price hike for Remote Raid Passes. These passes allow Pokemon GO players to participate in raids without being physically present at the location. According to a post on the Pokemon subreddit, Pokemon GO's monetization has only worsened over time, with Niantic over-charging players for loot boxes and items. The post claims this is partly due to fans' unwillingness to stand up to Niantic and asked fans to participate in a Raid strike for one week after the change goes into effect.
The post explains how participants in the boycott will not purchase any Boxes, Remote Raid Passes, and Premium Raid Passes for seven days after the price increase. The organizer hopes that Niantic will take note if it begins losing money due to its policy changes. They believe the company may reverse its decision and be more careful if enough Pokemon GO users participate. Participants can join however many in-person Raids they usually would. However, they should make sure that the number does not increase. The post also urges participants to encourage other Pokemon GO players to join the boycott but cautions against pressuring anyone into it.
Unfortunately for the person or people behind this movement, users on the Pokemon subreddit seemed unimpressed with this "strike" concept, and not just because some felt the term seemed a bit dramatic. As others noted, a few thousand people spending less money for a week is not likely to significantly inconvenience a multi-billion-dollar company. The short period and the fact that it's only telling Pokemon GO users to spend less money instead of stepping away altogether also came across as a half-measure to some.
Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.
