“Everything that is wrong with Pokemon GO”: Redditor on Niantic’s handling of Eternatus debut

The recent Eternatus-themed Pokemon GO event has ignited heated debate within the community, with most of players laveling Niantic's approach as the pinnacle of the game's long-standing issues. Players have complained about event design, monetization, and accessibility for a long time, and Eternatus' debut appears to have bought those frustrations in the foreground.

Despite the game's sustained popularity, many players are still turned off by Niantic's event design choices. While some players enjoyed the sense of community during the event, others felt it was simply another example of how inconsistent the Pokemon GO experience can be.

"The way Niantic handled Eternatus sums up almost perfectly everything that is wrong with Pokemon GO"

Redditor u/Foulmouth232 initiated the debate, claiming that Eternatus was treated in a manner that was “everything wrong” with Pokemon GO.

According to the post, rural and solo players were once again left out, as participation heavily depended on raids and Max Battles that involved group play. Smaller battles were present, but these provided minimal points, leading many to either pay for Remote Raid Passes or sit out entirely.

Another problem brought up was Niantic’s insistence on FOMO-designed events. Rather than making Eternatus available in Special Research players could do at their own pace, the developers had hard daily caps and time-limited rewards. This format pushed players to schedule their lives around the event or spend real money on additional resources.

Monetization issues were also at the forefront. Eternatus wasn’t just locked behind event participation. It was especially expensive to power up. Instead of transparently tripling the XL Candy requirements, Niantic inflated the numbers in a way that hid the real grind, leading people to believe that the design was intentionally deceptive.

Lastly, others have questioned the reward value of Eternatus overall. Compared to other options available such as Mega Rayquaza, the Gigantic Pokemon did not bring much competitive value. To many, it became a Pokedex filler instead of a players' strength upgrade, yet another example where grind was greater than reward.

The community in general resonated with this post, sharing their own experiences and opinions. Redditor u/blitzkrieg_57 agreed that the final point hit hardest.

The community added their thoughts to the main post (Image via Reddit)

Eternatus, in their opinion, could have worked better as a Special Research reward instead of another limited-timed encounter.

For u/guiltandgrief, the problem lies in the relentless monetization.

Pokemon GO players have quit as it has increasingly inclined more towards pay to win (Image via Reddit)

They constant cash grabs drove them to quit two years ago, a general pattern seen amongst many GO players.

Not everyone shared the negative outlook. u/No_Diver_5096 described the event as one of their best experiences.

While they acknowledged the event was not ideal for rural players, they argued that FOMO, in the big picture, is a personal choice.

Meanwhile, u/IPepSal pointed out that the quality of the experience also depended on location.

They argued that Niantic needs to create more consistent accessibility across regions to keep the experience fair.

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Pokemon GO’s growing divide

Eternatus as seen in the game (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Eternatus’ debut underscores a deeper divide within Pokemon GO’s player base. On the one hand, urban populated areas have experienced a revival of the game’s community spirit, reminiscent of its 2016 release. On the other hand, rural and solo players were once again marginalized, driven to spend money if they wished to remain competitively viable.

Combined with its increasing monetization strategies, many wonder whether the game is sacrificing player experience for revenue.

Niantic has long been a flag-bearer of Pokemon GO's social element, yet with Eternatus, the community play vs accessibility equation has once again been called into question. For some, the event was a fun time; for others, it was a frustrating reminder of the title's flaws.

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