“Pokemon Go” is expected to hit the mobile market at some point during this year, and while the main game will be offered as a free download, some of its content will be locked behind a paywall.
Which, according to most players, doesn’t really sound like a bad deal if the paid components are balanced properly and don’t give an obvious advantage to players with deeper pockets.
The market for mobile games started off a but roughly in this regard, with some companies pushing the limits of what they can do to get money out of their games, but in recent years the situation has mostly stabilized.
Games like “Boom Beach” and “Clash of Clans” have clearly shown that it’s possible to make a freemium game that feels fun and fair to everyone, including those who don’t want to pay anything. Given the amount of attention focused on “Pokemon Go” and the huge legacy behind the franchise, we hope that Niantic are going to handle the release responsibly in this regard. While there is no doubt that many fans would have no issue shelling out large amounts of cash over months of gameplay, it would be more beneficial to the franchise as a whole if this game leaves a strong impression on everyone, and sets the scene up for more releases.