Pokemon GO players have raised suspicions about developer Niantic’s intentions behind the upcoming addition of the Master Ball to the game. Pokemon GO has been subject to a backlash from its fanbase in recent months, as players have been voicing their displeasure with various changes Niantic has made that, fans claim, maximize profits at the expense of fun.
The controversies began when developer Niantic changed the way Pokemon GO’s Remote Raids function, much to the displeasure of the fanbase. For one, Niantic raised the price of Pokemon GO’s Remote Raid passes, increasing the financial barrier of entry to participate. Secondly, the changes made participating in Remote Raids much more difficult for players living in remote or rural areas. The changes resulted in many fans uninstalling Pokemon GO out of protest.
With Pokemon GO players' faith in Niantic on shaky ground, dedicated players are voicing concerns about Niantic’s intentions behind the debut of the Master Ball. Found throughout the various incarnations of the series, the Master Ball is a type of Poke Ball that instantly catches whatever Pokemon it is thrown at, with very few exceptions. The version of the Master Ball coming to Pokemon GO will function similarly, which has one player on the Pokemon GO subreddit wondering if the Master Ball’s debut is a predatory moneymaking scheme. Reddit user Y0l0tr0n theorizes that Niantic has made the legendary Galarian birds “nearly uncatchable” just as Niantic has introduced an expensive Pokeball with a 100% guaranteed catch rate.
While other Pokemon GO subreddit members didn’t quite agree with Y0l0tr0n’s theory as it pertains to the Galarian birds, several voiced concerns about how the introduction of the Master Ball will affect the catch rates of legendary Pokemon as a whole. Niantic recently removed important information like a Pokemon’s base capture rate from Pokemon GO and moved all capture rate data server-side to make it more difficult for dataminers to uncover such information. This, among other moves by Niantic, like cutting ties with the Silth Road Pokemon GO fan community, has angered long-time players. Several believe these moves open the door for Niantic to clandestinely reduce catch rates, thus encouraging players to purchase Master Balls to guarantee a catch.
It’s been a tumultuous year for Niantic and Pokemon GO players, as fans feel their relationship with the game and its developer has been irreparably damaged for the sake of profit. Some have even accused Niantic of simply not caring about Pokemon GO anymore as the developers work on new projects, like its latest title, the recently released mobile game Peridot, an Augmented Reality (AR) game where players can raise and breed fictional Pokemon-like animals.
Pokemon GO is available now on Android and iOS.