Pokemon GO fans are criticizing Niantic after the company announced that the paid Timed Research tickets for an upcoming event would no longer be available to purchase.
Niantic has announced that the battle-themed paid Timed Research ticket will be pulled from the upcoming Pokemon Go Battle Week: Timeless Travels event. Given the increase in paid Timed Research tickets recently and a backlash from fans, many players are seeing this as a blessing in disguise.
Niantic thanked Pokemon Go players for their understanding in a post shared to X (Twitter), but plenty of Pokemon fans in the comments are disgruntled, citing this as just another in a line of recent mistakes.
Niantic pulls Pokemon Go Battle Week Timed Research ticket
The fact that the four-day event would no longer be monetized was seen as a shock by many fans, especially as some players have been upset over the uptick in paid Timed Research, such as a post from Serebii’s Joe Merrick. So surprising was the announcement that fans had to ask Niantic if they were okay.
Trainers, unfortunately the paid, battle-themed Timed Research will not be available for purchase in the shop during GO Battle Week: Timeless Travels. We have updated the blog to reflect this change, thanks for understanding.
— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) January 18, 2024
Many players shared relief that they’re not being asked to purchase more timed research task tickets, especially as said tickets disappear as soon as the event concludes.
This means that players who don’t complete the paid Timed Research tasks by the end of the event and get the bonuses, can’t recover their money or get their rewards. Leaving some with busy lives unable to redeem items and extras they paid for if they can’t complete the tasks in time.
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One Pokemon Go player shares their relief at the lack of a Timed Research ticket, saying “wait, minus one paid ticket for the month? That’s kind of a win.”
Another contrasted the mismatching perspectives, adding “Niantic: “Unfortunately, we are losing money on this. Timed Research Players: One less ticket to pay for.”
“So how is the new avatar pose going to be sold now!?” Said another mobile gamer, echoing community anger that more and more money is being extracted from the Pokemon Go player base.
Other fans took the opportunity to plead with the company that is known to ban players in “hilarious” oversights: “Please unban me,” they said.
The event marks another in a long line of frustrating miscommunications and mistakes from Niantic. Some of these have led Pokemon GO players to feel as if they are being “scammed.”.