Pokémon Go is Testing Battle Pass That "Rewards" Players For Paying More Money
Niantic is about testing another new monetization feature that functions as a battle pass in Pokémon Go where players will get more rewards for spending real money in-game.
This new feature is called Reward Road and is currently being tested in Australia and New Zealand. It is a monthly list of rewards you can unlock by playing the game, but all of the content is locked behind having to pay real currency in exchange for PokéCoins or item bundles that will let you progress and claim more rewards.
What is Pokémon Go’s Reward Road Pass?
According to videos filmed by players in New Zealand who have access to the Reward Road, there are 10 different levels of rewards. The feature's in-game pop-up also confirms that “Only purchases made with real-world currency count toward Reward Road progress. Exchanges made using PokéCoins will not grant Reward Points.”
Use the December 2024 Eggs-pedition Ticket that costs $5 as an example, which will net you 30 Reward Points. When you have access to the Reward Road, you can also see how many Reward Points each PokéCoin bundle will give you after purchasing them.
Niantic notes that Reward Points earned with those purchases will let you claim rewards but they expire at the end of each month.
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Pokémon Go Players Criticize at "Horrendous” New Battle Pass
Players have had to put up with a lot of monetization changes in Pokémon Go over the years with things like Remote Raid Passes and ticketed content for almost every event. But adding a Battle Pass that gives you extremely basic rewards for spending real money might take the cake.
“Maybe I'm the minority but the increased monetization makes me stop spending entirely.” Reddit user vsmack said. “The odd event ticket I could do, but with so much I just started skipping and realized how little I felt like I was missing.”
Doing some quick math, players calculated that you would need to spend somewhere between $500 and $799.95 in a month to reach Level 10, depending on your approach. That would let you claim six Premium Battle Passes, six Egg Incubators, and six Stickers—none of which cost a fraction of that amount when purchased individually.
Discussions of how Niantic continues to hurt the game with “predatory and aggressive monetization” pop up more frequently every season. It hasn’t even been a week since the last controversy, with the company introducing pay-to-win mechanics for Pokémon Go Max Battles
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The real worry with this reward structure is how long before Niantic puts exclusive content into it that you can only get by spending real money to grind for. Players are specifically concerned that Legendary or Mythical Pokémon encounters could be featured in Reward Road in the future.
“Niantic's blatant focus on monetization in Pokémon Go is disheartening. While it's understandable that a business needs to generate revenue, their aggressive tactics have become increasingly intrusive and off-putting,” Reddit user Beer_Drinking_Guy said. “It's particularly concerning for a game that encourages outdoor exploration and is often played by children. Niantic's relentless pursuit of profit overshadows the spirit of adventure and community that initially made Pokémon Go so captivating.”
