"Can anyone explain what Niantic makes from doing an elite raid?": Pokemon GO player frustrated with Mega Rayquaza return

Mega Rayquaza is set to return to Pokemon GO on June 29. While this would normally be celebrated by the community, Niantic has once again let down its online playerbase by restricting the return of this creature to the despised Elite Raid feature.

Elite Raids are notoriously hated by Pokemon GO's playerbase for many reasons. These raids restrict who can and cannot attend these events, often resulting in a majority of the community missing out on what they have to offer. One player on the game's subreddit stated:

"Can anyone explain what Niantic makes from doing an elite raid? If they’re doing Elite Raids, you can use your free daily pass, but if they make it remote then people will pay to do the raids, especially from rural areas. I don’t get how they’re making money from a business standpoint on Elite Raid Days."

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Tanks niantic for hating your rural player again byu/Sebo366 inpokemongo

This comment originated on a post where a player from a rural community expresses their dissatisfaction with Elite Raids as a concept. In these types of areas, the players willing to participate and the places where these raids can take place are both incredibly sparse. As such, it is often impossible for many rural players to complete one Mega Rayquaza raid in the allotted time.

Since Elite Raids can only be completed in person, players cannot use Remote Raid Passes. This also means that those in rural areas cannot connect with friends who live in cities to complete raids. This keeps a vast portion of Pokemon GO's playerbase from completing these Elite Raids, and thus locking them out of obtaining a Mega Rayquaza through methods outside of cheating.

Another user commented on why Niantic would even encourage this restriction in the first place as requiring players to attend these raids in person discouraged purchases of their raid passes from the store. However, another user pointed out that Niantic most likely makes up for this loss in profits from the store by selling the location data collected from its users.

Comment byu/Sebo366 from discussion inpokemongo

Comment byu/Sebo366 from discussion inpokemongo

Another point of controversy is the Elite Raid's laughably short time period. Mega Rayquaza will only be available on June 29 from noon to 1:00 pm, and then again on that same day from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. This gives players a total of two hours to gather 400 Mega Energy to Mega Evolve their Rayquaza.

Since Mega Raids only give out between 60 and 90 Mega Energy per attempt, this means that you will have to take down at least five of these raids before you can obtain a Mega Rayquaza. This is why so many are upset about Niantic reintroducing the Legendary through Elite Raids rather than the standard Mega Raid.

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Is Mega Rayquaza good in Pokemon GO?

Mega Rayquaza may be worth the hassle of obtaining in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While it may be a pain in the neck to obtain, it very well may be worth the trouble of grinding for. Rayquaza is already one of the best Dragon and Flying-types in Pokemon GO, so its Mega Evolution will only improve upon its strengths. If players find themselves in the area of one, they should try to see if there are any other trainers nearby since this will make the entire process easier.