Pokemon Go Players Says New Update Is “Bad News” for the Game

According to recent reporting from Bloomberg, Pokemon Go developer Niantic is planning to sell off its gaming division to Scopely Inc., in a deal worth close to $3.5 billion. The deal has not been officially announced by either company, but Pokemon Go fans aren’t taking the news very well so far. On the Pokemon Go subreddit, many fans are sharing concerns and frustrations with how Scopely has managed properties in the past, including games such as Monopoly Go and Marvel Strike Force. One of the biggest worries is that the game’s monetization will grow out of control.

“They have a habit of getting very high profile properties and wringing the fun out of them by wringing players out of their money. I used to play their Walking Dead game and Marvel Strike Force, both were unplayable for F2P or even light spenders after a few months. I fully expect this to be the same,” wrote user Blarghlepuss.

The current level of monetization in Pokemon Go is far from perfect, and fans have spent the last two years airing their frustrations with certain price increases. However, many are arguing that Scopely is much worse in that regard. While Pokemon Go‘s Remote Raids have gotten significantly more expensive, the reality is that the game never feels like it’s pay to win. Meanwhile, posters like FloatMoss argue that Scopely games such as Star Trek Fleet Command are unfairly balanced towards players willing to pay.

“If you didn’t pay to win (almost every transaction was 50 or 100 dollars) then the grind was so ridiculous that you just wouldn’t be able to keep up with anyone else on your server,” writes user FloatMurse.

It remains to be seen whether the deal between Niantic and Scopely will actually go through, or what impact it might have on Pokemon Go. Some players are already taking steps to prepare for the worst, though. On the game’s subreddit, fans have shared plans to begin transferring their cherished Pokemon from Pokemon Go over to Pokemon Home. Pokemon Go allows players to transfer a limited number of Pokemon at a time to the Pokemon Home app, where they can then be used in Nintendo Switch games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The logic being that Niantic has no ownership rights to Pokemon Home, which is run by The Pokemon Company and Nintendo.

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Readers should note that it’s a one-time trip from Pokemon Go to Pokemon Home, so they might not want to make any drastic decisions about moving over their Pokemon just yet. Even if the Scopely acquisition does get approval from all required parties, there’s no telling how long it could be before any changes take effect. For now, Pokemon Go fans should wait and see how things play out.

Are you worried about Scopely potentially acquiring Niantic? Do you think the change will hurt Pokemon Go? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!