Trainers in Pokémon GO do not have to worry about annoying ads in the game so far. However, a recent finding has raised concerns among some players. We show you what information has been discovered and why this data has caused so much discussion in the community.
What is it about? At regular intervals, the PokeMiners, a group of data miners, scour the game code of Pokémon GO for new information. They subsequently make their findings available to other trainers via social networks.
In doing so, they often discover new monsters or planned features in Pokémon GO before a release, such as the Mega Evolution of the first Rock Pokémon. However, their current finding has raised concerns in the community.
What have the PokeMiners found? The PokeMiners shared their current finding through their Twitter account. They show, in addition to new colorful icons and a picture with flames, several placeholders of different sizes. These refer to “Google Mobile Ads,” i.e., ads from Google.
Why is the community now concerned?
So far, Pokémon GO has been a free game, which, in contrast to many others, has abstained from in-game advertising. Only those who want to participate in special events need to purchase corresponding paid tickets in the in-game shop.
The current finding, however, suggests the introduction of advertising space in the game due to the shown placeholders. This is not far-fetched, as many games earn good money through additional ads.
This topic is now causing considerable discussion on social networks. Many trainers are completely against ads and even announce on reddit that they will leave the game in that case (via reddit.com):
- TheRealHankWolfman: “I really hope we don’t get ads in the game. Ads lead to delays in mobile games almost all the time, and Niantic makes more than enough money to not need ads in the game.”
- BargainLawyer: “Forced ads, and I will never touch the game again.”
- magicjam3: “If that happens, I will transfer my Pokémon to Home and uninstall it.”
- Teban54: “The only place I might be okay with it (edit: by that I mean where ads might fit) is during non-skippable animations like evolutions. But even then, I still think it’s a terrible idea.”
This could bring ads for trainers
BorisDirk sees something positive in the introduction of ads in Pokémon GO. He could imagine earning coins for watching the ad videos, in addition to or instead of earning them in gyms (via reddit.com).
The current coin system in gyms is frequently criticized by trainers, and many players have long been hoping for an alternative solution. Especially trainers in rural areas often have problems gaining their daily coins due to a lack of or remotely located gyms.
How you can currently earn coins in the game has been summarized in our following guide:
And krispyboiz could also get used to ads in the game, provided it improves the quality in the game, gives more free items, and makes event tickets cheaper. Overall, he remains skeptical about the whole thing (via reddit.com)
However, it is currently unknown if, when, and in what form Niantic will introduce ads in the game in the future. Whether this will lead to possible delays, as some trainers fear, remains to be seen.
Since the information comes from the PokeMiners’ findings, these should always be viewed with healthy skepticism. They are not official data, which means Pokémon GO can decide to change the content at any time. Should Niantic comment on the introduction of ads, you will of course hear about it from us on MeinMMO.
What do you think of the PokeMiners’ findings? Do you think there will be ads in the game in the future? And would ads bother you, or don’t you mind at all? Feel free to share your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments and discuss it with other trainers.
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