Why Fans are Rightfully Mad About Pokémon Unite

The new Pokémon MOBA, Pokémon Unite, is earning some harsh criticism from fans. Less than a week after launching, the game is getting its fair share of hate and backlash online for the model of its progression system. Free to play often means that some money format is included, but this might be one of the worse examples in recent memory. Here’s why fans are mad about Pokémon Unite and why things could be better if Nintendo, Tencent, and The Pokémon Company decided to tweak things.

In a free-to-play game, we can imagine that some purchases are going to be included that don’t necessarily impact the game. Cosmetic items for example are a hugely popular way to get hardcore fans of an FTP game to spend a little cash. The issue with Pokémon Unite is that the game includes monetized gameplay boosting items that substantially increase combat effectiveness. This essentially means that you don’t just pay to enhance, you pay to win.

Let’s run with a popular example from Reddit: it takes around 15 matches to unlock one additional Pokémon. Pokémon Unite‘s premium currency, Gems, come incredibly slowly in-game. That means it can take you an insane amount of in-game time to make small steps of progression. Why is that bad? Well, it’s clearly rewarding players for paying money. While it’s not illegal or unheard of, it’s certainly not very consumer-friendly.

One could argue that a game like this is more mobile than console-focused. Still, the game is on the Switch eShop, a digital games store accessible to millions around the world, including kids. Pokémon is a franchise that consistently caters to younger audiences as well. This likely isn’t some master plan to squeeze money out of vulnerable players, but it’s certainly predatory.

Whether you’re having fun with the game so far is beside the point. This is clearly something that was deliberate on behalf of the three companies behind the game’s creation. It’ll be interesting to see if anything changes in the coming weeks and months. Let us know what you think of Pokémon Unite in the comments!