Pokemon Unite players slam “dangerous” Halloween Festival Pumpkin Box lottery
TiMi Studios / The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Unite players are outraged over the Halloween Festival’s Pumpkin Box feature. Some fans of the Nintendo series are comparing it to “gambling” and slamming the loot box mechanic as being more trick than treat.
Autumn has arrived in Pokemon Unite and the multiplayer is celebrating the spookiest season of the year with the Halloween Festival taking over the multiplayer until November 7.
But according to some users, the festivities are being spoiled by the Pumpkin Box mechanic. Frustrated Trainers are warning fellow players to stay away from the feature at all costs.
TiMi Studios / The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Unite Halloween Festival Pumpkin Box feature sparks backlash
As a part of the celebration, Pokemon Unite has added a new pumpkin currency which can be exchanged for limited-time items during the Halloween Festival. Those who save up enough can even unlock newcomer Greedent for free. But some fans argue there is a catch.
While Pumpkins can also be earned for free through log-in bonuses and quests, the currency being limited to 96 total isn’t enough to unlock everything. To obtain it all, Trainers have to exchange their Pumpkins for a loot box called a Pumpkin Box. Fans of the MOBA are warning players to stay away from the mechanic.
In a video uploaded by Unite YouTuber spragels, the content creator warned viewers and said, “Don’t play the Pumpkin lottery. You will ONLY lose. The odds on this Pumpkin Box are so bad that basically you only have a shot to lose money. 63% of the time you get less Pumpkins. 30% you get your money back. 3% of the time, you get more Pumpkins.”
Popular Pokemon insider Eclipse also called out the Halloween Festival feature, and posted the complete % odds that each Pumpkin Box has of actually hitting something good. “Aka scam, don’t ty these at home!” they said.
https://twitter.com/eclipse_tt/status/1450788199249465347
Pokemon Unite players also took to social media to vent their frustrations, with many comparing the experience to gambling. “I realized I needed to stop when my gambling addiction wasn’t earning me anything,” one user wrote. “I’ll only gamble again after I get Greedent, if I can control myself that is.”
Another hit out at the mechanic, writing, “Loot boxes should be illegal. Disgraceful that Nintendo included that in their game.”
One Trainer even revealed they eventually bought Greedent after losing everything: “I was so confident on getting all those Pumpkins to get Greedent, but I didn’t realize the odds are so crap, but my gambling addiction didn’t care. I ended up buying Greedent.”
It should be pointed out that the Pumpkin currency can technically be earned for free. But many players feel they are being forced into using the Pumpkin Box mechanic as it’s the only way to be able to unlock most things during the event. At the time of writing, TiMi Studios has yet to address the backlash.
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Only time will tell whether they take fan feedback into consideration and make changes. The Halloween Festival runs until November 7, meaning the game may give away more Pumpkins for free before then. Still, the lottery-style loot box clearly isn’t a hit with some players of the Nintendo MOBA.