Pokemon Unite devs ask players for feedback amid growing “pay to win” backlash
Pokemon UnitePokemon Unite, the free-to-play MOBA available on the Nintendo Switch, has l;aunched to quite a bit of criticism over the game’s “pay-to-win” elements. Now, the developers are asking players for their feedback to potentially try and change the system.
After launching on July 21, there’s been a relatively mixed response from players regarding Pokemon Unite. While many are just happy to jump into the 5v5 MOBA, many are concerned about the game’s future regarding its pay-to-win (P2W) elements.
The main gripe comes down to Item Enhancers. Players can equip three items onto their Pokemon, boosting their stats and giving them extra passive. However, you can level these up by paying for Item Enhancers.
They usually cost 10 Aeos tickets each. However, you can pay for Aeos gems and transform them into tickets to pay for the Enhancers.
It’s a similar system to League of Legends’ old runes, but on a much bigger scale.
Pokemon UnitePlayers are refusing to touch ranked, or even play the game, without the system being fixed. However, it looks like the developers are at least aware of the concerns, and could look into it with enough community support.
TiMi dropped a survey on July 25 on their Twitter. The general feedback form asks players about their experiences — good and bad — in the MOBA so far.
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However, the devs have highlighted concerns in the frustrations section. This includes “the game overemphasizes spending money to be successful” and “the game overemphasizes grinding and playing heavily” as options.
How’s your experience been on Aeos Island, Trainers? Let us know your thoughts and feedback by filling out this survey, and help us make continued improvements to #PokemonUNITE.
— Pokémon UNITE (@PokemonUnite) July 25, 2021
Players across social media have petitioned each other to highlight the issues with the pay-to-win system in an attempt to get it fixed before it’s too late.
The system is unlikely to ever go away, but it could be rebalanced to make items cheaper to upgrade, all while refunding players their tickets if they did pursue the pay-to-win route.
Either way, if action isn’t taken, a boycott could be on its way.