Pokémon Go players have had mixed opinions about pay-to-participate research tasks in their handheld game. Tickets typically cost $4.99, and they’re becoming increasingly common. Players don’t like the idea of having to choose between forking out the fee week-in, week-out, or risk missing out on the rewards on offer.
That includes the Masterwork Research: Wish Granted task, which includes a guaranteed encounter with a Shiny Jirachi, making it all the more compelling for those who haven’t caught one yet. But there’s another issue—unlike past tickets, it isn’t giftable.
Players are baffled, claiming it isn’t a smart business move because gifted tickets still need to be purchased, so preventing people from being able to do it means fewer sales. Some were planning on gifting tickets to friends or nieces and nephews. Now, they can’t—creating a lose-lose situation for the people they intended to give them to, and Niantic.
What’s more, it’s causing players to lose even more faith in Niantic’s decision-making and the direction of the game than they already have. Some have gone as far as saying they’ve gone “completely insane” with this choice.
“Why would you do this? “Like, what possible logic is there to restrict how people can spend money,” said one player. “If someone wants to spend five bucks for a shiny mythical, isn’t that something for your company to jump on?”
It certainly raises more questions than answers.
Others said it could even deter parents from buying tickets for children in the future since gifting was the easiest and most reliable way, which seems counter-intuitive.
