Pokemon Go players have been left confused by recent changes rolled out to the game’s in-app shop, questioning their purpose and voicing concerns for the future.
The update, which introduced discount labels for various bundles in the storefront, hasn’t included any literal price adjustments.
Rather, Pokecoin costs for popular items, such as Premium Battle Passes and Hatch Boxes, have been amended to reflect how much money customers save by purchasing bundles instead of multiple of a single item.
For example, if one were to purchase three individual Remote Raid Passes at 195 Pokecoins each, the total would come out to 585.
Purchasing the three-pass bundle costs 525 coins – which is what it cost before the update. The “10% off” label accounts for the 15 Pokecoins that would be saved by not buying three Raid Passes individually.
“What the hell is this? Isn’t 525 for three Remote Raid Passes the regular price?” queried a player on Reddit, prompting responses with theories on why the feature was added.
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“It’s like when department stores raise prices 10% and then have a 10% sale,” came one skeptical response, while others labeled the move a “psychological trick.”
“I hope this isn’t the start of them trying to increase prices even more. I know it’s showing the discounted price from buying three individually, but I don’t like the implications of this change,” another concerned player added.
Though it has done so before, Niantic has not indicated that it intends to raise prices for any items available in Pokemon Go’s store at this time.
Dexerto has reached out to Niantic for comment.
Pokemon Go is gearing up for a huge month ahead. In addition to the return of Mega Rayquaza on August 2, Adventure Week is scheduled to kick off on the same day. All the important details can be found in our August schedule hub.