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Pokemon GO's Mythic Blade event began on December 6, 2022, and will run until December 11, 2022, at 8:00 pm local time. Keldeo, the Mythic Pokemon, made its grand debut during the event. However, it is locked behind a $7.99 Special Research story event called Something Extraordinary.
If the reaction by the game's community on social media is any indication, the Something Extraordinary announcement has been anything but remarkable. Many trainers are eager to capture Keldeo but are frustrated that the Pokemon has only been made available to those willing to pay for the opportunity.
Reddit reacts to Pokemon GO's decision to paywall Keldeo
Several Pokemon GO players have taken to social media to slam the game's developers for once again locking a coveted Pokemon behind a paywall.
Paywalls aren't uncommon in the mobile gaming space, and Niantic has employed them on many occasions. Every so often, a new Pokemon, including a legendary or Mythic rarity one, is introduced. However, it is only made available via the purchase of in-game items such as research tickets.
Additionally, some Pokemon have only been made available during certain in-person events in major cities in Europe, America, and Southeast Asia. Some trainers have considered this move to be a slight since not everyone can afford travel costs to visit another country, state, or city.
In Keldeo's case, the Water/Fighting-type Mythic Pokemon is only accessible via the Something Extraordinary research story, which mandates the purchase of a ticket.
While Keldeo may be made available through other means in the future, this isn't guaranteed. Pokemon GO players aren't happy that another rare creature has a price tag tied to real-world currency.
In the early years of Pokemon GO's tenure, Niantic appeared to be more focused on releasing quality-of-life improvements and additional Pokemon to the growing roster.
However, its recent content choices have leaned towards events walled behind microtransactions. This has alienated many players who don't want to pay for content.
The unfortunate reality of Pokemon GO (and mobile gaming in general) is that profit is the primary motive.
Niantic has sponsors to acquiesce to and costs to pay both internally and externally. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the developers must follow the current business method to generate a solid bottom line. If a significant section of the player base feels alienated, it can hurt profits in the long run.
However, like many mobile games, Pokemon GO subsists largely off the roughly one percent of players who are willing to dump exorbitant sums of money into the game. Since this is the case, why cast aside devoted players who chip in microtransactions when they can or those who play for free and still provide location data in the meantime?
These questions have persisted among Pokemon GO's community for years, particularly in 2021-2022, as Niantic has phased out many quality-of-life improvements introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trainers have noticed that more paid content has been introduced and understandably take umbrage with that. However, the fear of missing out (also known as FOMO) is a powerful driver for profits, and Niantic appears to be heavily centered on the practice.
There's still time for Niantic to listen to the community. However, repeated slights against the player base won't end well for the company's income, even if it takes some time to realize this fact.
