Pokémon GO is having a hard time balancing its free-to-play base game with microtransactions that will keep this app alive for years to come. Fans have been fairly critical over the way this app handles real-life purchases, with even the game’s director finding its online store overwhelming.
Michael Steranka, the director of this successful mobile app, spoke with Dot eSports about the situation, admitting that the online store can be intimidating. Steranka feels that the team at Niantic have done a good job recently with balancing the free-to-play and monetization aspects. The director also says they’ll keep listening to fan feedback about the game.
“There was even one point for me where I was looking through the shop, and I was like, Oh, wow, it’s hard for me to keep track of what ticket does what and where. The team is constantly trying to learn and adapt and almost experiment, right and evolve our strategies; you’ll realize that this season, there are fewer tickets and the previous season as an example,” Sterenka said.
Considering all of the criticism that Pokémon GO gets from its more hardcore fanbase, we hope that Sterenka means what he says. While things seem to be a bit better, fans have been upset with the way recent events focus on players who are willing to shell out more cash.
Most of the game’s events can usually be played by everyone, but those who pay can sometimes gain exclusive content that others can’t. Sometimes it’s exclusive Pokémon and other times it's Research Tasks or items needed to power up these creatures. Either way, it feels like the game can be a pay-to-play situation and that has annoyed those who choose to pay for free.
Pokémon GO is now available on iOS and Android, with most fans being able to download the app for free. Fans should prepare to pay for some things in the game, especially if they want more items or Pokémon.