Pokemon Go Monthly Earnings See Huge Drop Following Controversial Changes

By Marc Deschamps

Pokemon Go's monthly revenue saw a significant drop during the month of April, bringing in $34.7 million. As noted by Mobilegamer.biz, that figure is a decrease from March, where the game brought in $42.8 million, and happens to be the worst month for the game since all the way back in February 2018. While there's no definitive answer as to why the game's profits took a hit, many are pointing to April's controversial changes to Remote Raids, which are actively discouraging players from spending money in the game.

For those that haven't been following the story, Remote Raids were one of several additions made to the game in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The feature allows players to Raid together even when they can't play in person, with tickets originally costing 100 PokeCoins each. In the last three years, Niantic has been rolling back the changes made in 2020, and while Remote Raids have not been removed altogether, the company added major disincentives for spending money on them. The cost per ticket nearly doubled, with a new price of 195 coins each (525 for three), and a restriction of five Remote Raids per player per day was instituted. 

Niantic has defended the changes because they want players enjoying Pokemon Go outdoors, as the game was originally envisioned. Instead, these changes have frustrated the game's most passionate players, and encouraged them to spend money elsewhere. The changes also ignore things like inclement weather, geography, and even players that are physically unable to play the game outdoors with others easily. Every Tweet from the game's official Twitter account is inundated with replies bringing up these concerns, and yet the company continues to ignore the fan community. As a player myself, the changes have led to me spending less time overall with the game, and raiding less with friends I've made around the world.

It's impossible to say whether these monthly drops will continue over the coming months; Pokemon Go Fest has been announced, and it looks like the game will be making one of the rarest mythical Pokemon available to those that purchase a $14.99 event ticket. That could make it difficult to gauge the month-to-month numbers between now and August. Regardless, Pokemon Go players are very clearly frustrated and spending less than they did before, and that could hurt the game in the long run.

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Do you think the Remote Raid changes are hurting the game's profits? Has the change resulted in you spending less time and money? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Video Games Chronicle]

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