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Pokémon Go players haven't been particularly happy with developer Niantic, for some time now. Initially its game had server lag, then a tracking bug and now since the developer pulled the ability to track local Pokémon altogether, many players have stopped playing and requested refunds, citing that the game isn't what it was when they made their purchases.
And in many cases, they're getting them too.
Pokémon Go is a game like many smartphone apps, with micro-transactions built in. You can purchase Pokécoins at a rate of roughly £0.8 per 100 and use them to buy everything from incubators to unlock Pokémon eggs quicker, to more Pokéballs and healing potions. But now players feel like their buys were worthless, because the developers have recently removed much of the game's functionality.
By killing off tracking – and third party mapping services – Niantic has removed much of the deliberate ability to catch Pokémon. Instead, it's now more worthwhile to simply wander aimlessly, or go on a prescribed route without any guarantee that you'll find a Pokémon, or even a hint that one might be up ahead.
So people are demanding their money back and it seems to be working. Kotaku reports that a number of users from both iOS and Android platforms have been receiving refunds without a hitch, suggesting perhaps that they aren't the only ones who are disappointed with the changes Niantic has made to the game since launch.
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KitGuru Says: Have you made any purchases through Pokémon Go? If so, do you think the latest change are enough to warrant a refund? It's hard to understand all of the frustration with the game, since the tracking bug has been present since launch in the UK, so we never got to experience the proper gameplay of tracking down the Pokémon ourselves.
I love the final sentence. Roughly translated: people shouldn’t be frustrated, because the game has sucked since day 1.
The spawn rates seem slower now, and pokemon have been evading capture more and more.
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The evading capture more part I assumed was because I was on a higher level. Not noticed a lower spawn rate myself.
Is this not similar to buying a small game, playing it through, then asking for a refund because it’s finished? They willingly purchased the items to speed things up, and then made use of the items. They received what they paid for regardless of how the game is.
I’m not defending Niantic here – I played Ingress way back when so I already knew they were notoriously shit for communication to consumers – But as someone going into the games industry this doesn’t sit right with me
I’d say it’s more similar to playing a free game and buying something to aid the progression of that game on the promise that more features are to be later added, and then once enough people have spent money they then cancel the features that are to be added.
Your scenario would be like someone spends a load of money on lucky eggs and incense etc. and then once they’ve hit the highest level and have nothing else to capture, THEN they request refunds.
I guess. But they’re not paying for the app, they’re paying for the boosters. If the boosters changed functionality then it would be a good reason to ask for refunds but the reason is because the app itself changed, which is free. They’re two different scenarios
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