Pokemon Go fans are not pleased with the new Go Battle Day ticket, as some think essentially lets players ‘buy Stardust with real money.
Developer Niantic has not been in the good graces of the Pokemon Go community for some time, though fan backlash has started to ramp up since the start of 2023 for a variety of different reasons.
Perhaps first and foremost is the developer’s changes to the monetary aspect of Pokemon Go, with items like Remote Raid Passes and Pokemon Go Fest tickets increasing in price.
Now, fans have aimed their frustration at the new Go Battle Day ticket, which some claim essentially lets players buy Stardust for $1 — an item that is not usually sold in the Shop.
Pokemon Go trainers clown new Go Battle Day ticket
A post on the Pokemon Go subreddit sparked a discussion among fans after a trainer screenshotted the new Go Battle Day ticket and its description.
The new ticket is for the Go Battle Day: Stardust Timed Research event, which awards players with 25,000 Stardust, 3 Rare Candies, and 1 Star Piece. Notably, players who want to take part in the Timed Research must purchase a ticket for $1.
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This ticket earned criticism from the community for several reasons — with one being the fact that Stardust is not normally an item players can purchase with money.
“Straight up just buying stardust. At LEAST give us a couple green passes so we can do more battles / encounters,” said one trainer, while another expressed surprise that instances like this haven’t happened sooner. “I’m actually surprised they haven’t tried monetizing stardust earlier, thought this was a quick way to make a dollar for them.
Some admitted that a $1 purchase really wasn’t that bad, but noted the fact that the reward was Stardust seemed a bit overkill. “I mean…yeah, okay, sure, it’s an optional $1 purchase. But still. It’s stardust. The one thing in the game besides Pokeballs that you can reliably get for free.”
It’s hard to say if in-app purchases like this specific ticket will pop up in the future, as this Stardust Timed Research ticket could simply be a one-time deal. Still, it’s pretty clear that fans think Niantic is going a bit too far with events like this.
