Update: A Pokemon Go spokesperson issued the following statement in response to this discovery: “We will not be bringing intrusive ads to Pokémon GO, not now, not ever. We recently upgraded a third-party library in Pokémon GO which introduced code that added a written list of common ad networks – but not the ad frameworks themselves. This is standard industry practice, but in no way reflects any plans to change how the Pokémon GO team approaches advertising.” The original article appears below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Original: Ever since Niantic announced the sale of Pokemon Go to game developer Scopely, many players have been on edge. Despite reassurances from the Pokemon Go team and Scopely, the developer’s track record from prior games like Monopoly Go and Marvel Strike Force raises concerns about monetization. Now, a new leak seems to reveal upcoming support for in-game ads, one of many changes fans feared when the sale was first announced. With a list of what’s to come for potential monetization, many Pokemon Go fans are bracing to leave the game for good.
In response to player concerns about ads and caps on free play time, Pokemon Go‘s game director has previously reassured players it would never happen. Specifically, the comment was, “We will not be building into our games any type of obtrusive ads or anything like that.” Now, it looks like those may be empty words, or at least carefully chosen ones, as a new data mine suggests that some kind of ad support has already been added to Pokemon Go. Just how “obstrusive” these ads will be remains to be seen, but many players aren’t happy with what they see. The data comes from Pokemon Go dataminers @thepokemod group on X, who shared a list of ad sources that have reportedly been added to the mobile game.
While it’s possible that Scopely plans to bring in more of the fairly inoffensive ad balloons we’ve already seen in Pokemon Go, the revenue sources listed here have many gamers concerned. The list comprises several different services that promise to help developers monetize their apps, and many of them don’t sound so unobstrusive. In fact, most of the services listed specialize in adding in-app ads to monetize mobile apps, which hardly sounds like a plan to follow the existing model for fairly ignorable balloon ads and sponsored PokeStops.
That said, it’s important to note that just because this long list of monetization companies have been added to the code, it’s no guarantee that Pokemon Go plans to implement them all. More likely, this is part of an initial effort to see which service or monetization might yield the best results. At any rate, the leak certainly suggests that Pokemon Go is now exploring options for ads and additional monetization, which has many players hovering over the “delete account” button.
“It’s Snover”: Gamers Fear the Worst for Pokemon Go Ads
Players are not pleased with this latest leaked information about the future of Pokemon Go. The top response to a thread about the news in the r/pokemongo subreddit features a sad Snover with the caption “It’s Snover” suggesting that the game itself is coming to an end with the pending changes. Gamers are bracing themselves for what we can expect once Scopely settles on its monetization plan moving forward, with some bleak predictions.
RELATED: Pokemon Go Director Addresses Future of Ads and In-Person Events Following Scopely Sale
“Premium Accounts incoming,” suggests one comment, anticipating that features will be locked behind paid subscriptions moving forward. Others suggest we might see paid locks on gym badges or pop-up ads to get more PokeBalls when running low. Another poster points out that some of these ad companies have questionable practices, including ads that link to malware. In response, some players are trying to imagine life without Pokemon Go after nearly a decade with the game. “If we get ads in the game it’s over for me,” says one gamer, while another adds, “seriously, we might have to just walk now.”
The post is already full of similar sentiments, with players expressing their distaste for in-app pop-up ads, which are often misleading and difficult to close out. Many players are transferring their favorite Pokemon from Pokemon Go to Home so they’ll be able to use them in other Pokemon games. Some even worry that the ability to transfer Pokemon could be one of the things Scopely plans to paywall, adding urgency to the push to transfer the best ones out of the app.
It may be some time yet before we know exactly what this leak means for the future of Pokemon Go. Code being present in a game doesn’t always mean those features will ever see the light of day, so for now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Will you quit Pokemon Go if the game introduces in-game ads? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
