There’s currently a lot of stress around eggs in Pokémon GO. A petition has even been started, demanding that players receive more insights into the hatching probabilities. There have even been comparisons to loot boxes.
What happened: A thread has appeared on reddit that is causing quite a stir. In it, the user SpecB compares several mechanics from Pokémon GO, such as eggs, raids, or lures, to loot boxes from other games.
He demands that the probabilities of these mechanics be disclosed. How likely are Shinys? What is the probability of which Pokémon hatching from eggs?
According to the reddit user, Niantic is obliged to disclose such data, as the app stores from Android and Apple require this for loot boxes. SpecB believes that the mechanics of Pokémon GO can be compared to loot boxes.
Thousands of players agree with the user, and there is even a petition that one can sign.
Eggs are like loot boxes – Trainers want to see data
What exactly are loot boxes? Such boxes are used in numerous games. You can open them, often for real money, and receive items. However, you don’t know beforehand what is inside the loot box. In many games, such boxes entice spending real money, as players hope to get strong items that are often quite rare in the boxes.
In many other games, loot boxes are controversial. In 2019, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo decided that loot boxes on their platforms should be more transparent. Players should be shown how likely the various items are. The Android Play Store and the Apple App Store also have very similar guidelines.
This is the comparison: SpecB compares many things from Pokémon GO to loot boxes from other games. He also calls on the community, saying: “What the community can do to make Niantic disclose the loot box probabilities.”
For the loot boxes in Pokémon GO, the reddit user provides several examples:
- Eggs: Here, one needs to buy additional incubators besides the infinite incubator to hatch many eggs – what and how often something is in the eggs is not mentioned anywhere.
- Raids: Besides the daily pass, Trainers are encouraged to participate in more raids, as there are unique rewards and raid-exclusive Shinys – what rewards are available at what chances and how high the chance of Shinys is is not explained anywhere.
- Lure modules: These modules can be earned in the game or purchased. Sometimes there are rare Pokémon in the modules – which Pokémon and how rare they are is not mentioned anywhere.
- Incense: The principle here is very similar to that of lure modules – but also here no information is distributed about which Pokémon and how frequently they appear.
What is now being demanded? SpecB and numerous commentators under the thread are now calling for the disclosure of probabilities. They want more transparency from Niantic, arguing that the app stores require such disclosure for loot boxes.
Therefore, every player supporting this initiative should write to Niantic’s support and inform them about the handling of loot boxes. Additionally, they should write to the support of the app stores and describe the same problem there. SpecB has even drafted suitable texts that Trainers only need to copy.
In conclusion, there is even a petition, which interested Trainers can sign. As of now (August 13 at 1:00 PM), there are about 850 signatories.
Why is there currently so much stress about it? The last major outrage was the release of Shiny Kapuno. The rare Pokémon could mostly be found in eggs, but those who wanted the Shiny often had to hatch numerous eggs and invest a lot of money.
Kapuno was extremely rare in the eggs. There were reports from players who didn’t get a normal Kapuno in over 180 eggs, let alone a Shiny.
This reignited the discussion about the disclosure of probabilities from eggs. After all, as a Trainer, you want to know how likely it is to get the desired Pokémon.
What has Niantic said about the accusations? So far, the development team of Pokémon GO has remained silent about the statements. Niantic is generally not very transparent regarding the disclosure of probabilities.
In event announcements, it often says, “With luck, you may also find Shiny XY.” However, there are no accurate numbers. These are painstakingly compiled by dedicated Trainers. Thus, we currently at least know approximately how likely Shinys are in Pokémon GO.
