Pokémon Go Legendary Shiny encounter rates were significantly decreased for Azelf and Mesprit in Japan, according to a fan-powered data website, and the community’s response was overwhelmingly negative.
Rates were reported by a user in a Reddit thread from June 6, where the author shared the numbers of Japanese crowd-sourced data website 9db. According to the data collected by more than 250 players, the average appearance rate of Azelf and Mesprit Shiny species is 14/1,500, which equals about 0.93 percent.
Related: Hidden Gems promised new content, but players question why Pokémon Go remains so stale
It’s unclear what percentage of player’s encounters were obtained through Remote Raid Passes, but many speculate the Shiny appearance rate was secretly lowered specifically for those. And the community’s response to the numbers was immediate.
“I’m suspecting they’re wanting to phase out Remote Raids completely. The best way? Discourage players from participating in Remote Raids,” wrote one of top-voted comments under the thread. “Then in a few months, they can drop the feature ‘since no one is using it.'”
In another thread, fans compared the data to older appearance rates to determine whether a secret nerf was applied. They found out the rates were much higher (around 10 percent) for other Raids, such as Kleavor and Hisuian Avalugg.
“So the Z-test tells us there’s something different between Kleavor and prior raid days – but we don’t know what’s the difference,” a user said. “A possible SPECULATION is: What if the shiny rate from Remote raids was lower than in-person raids?”
Pokémon Go players already compared their experiences and a noticed a difference between both kinds of Raid participation, but it wasn’t a pool as wide as 9db’s, so it’s not easy to determine what is truly happening with Legendary Shiny rates.
Niantic has received backlash from the community since it started restricting the use of Remote Raid Passes on April 6, increasing their cost and implementing a daily use limit.
Those are very convenient since they allow players to join Raids without requiring them to get there in person. The community’s response was strong, with many claiming to boycott the game until changes were reverted and launching a movement called #HearUsNiantic to make their voices heard.
Those changes were made in a general effort from the developer to encourage more in-person events since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted over a year ago. It also fully launched the Campfire app on April 6, which allows players to coordinate and complete Raids together.
Niantic has yet to share any plans of reverting those changes and didn’t react to the growing controversy surrounding Shiny appearance rates.
Meanwhile, a new event has begun on June 6 and will last until June 12. The Water Festival: Beach Week event allows Pokémon Go to catch many more beach-themed species, with its set of Research tasks and rewards.
