Is the value of PokeCoins in Pokemon GO decreasing? Players weigh in

Pokecoins have been in Pokemon GO since the game's launch and serve as the premium currency players use to purchase items from the in-game shop. However, as Niantic adds more items like event tickets and purchase-only bundles to the shop, hardcore fans who put effort into obtaining Pokecoins are worried that the currency is losing its value to the developers.

User u/vocetenor on the Silph Road subreddit recently started a discussion about this topic, expressing their opinion on the matter. This got many users engaged in discussions about Niantic's shift in monetization in Pokemon GO.

PokeCoins value decreasing byu/vocetenor inTheSilphRoad

In their post, they expressed their view about spending money on the game, as a budget of $5 is essentially two different forms of currency in Pokemon GO. If they use their money to buy Pokecoins, they miss out on being able to utilize that same amount to purchase event tickets or a shop bundle. They implied that this makes Pokecoins substantially less valuable in the modern state of Pokemon GO.

Comment byu/vocetenor from discussion inTheSilphRoad

User u/EeveesGalore said the reason this has become a preferred form of microtransactions in the game is because it makes Niantic more money. Since players can grind for Pokecoins using the game's gym mechanic, these money-exclusive purchases only exist to block free-to-play users from obtaining them.

Comment byu/vocetenor from discussion inTheSilphRoad

u/fantasypaladin chimed in, stating that as a user who has purchased one of these tickets in the past, its value is minimal at best. They added it only provides users with a couple of items they might otherwise have a difficult time obtaining. With the cost of these tickets increasing for many events, users have expressed disinterest in purchasing them in the future.

Many fans feel that the initial shop changes are where this downward spiral started (Image via Reddit)

u/nivusninja brought up an interesting detail about the March 2023 Raid Pass nerf. With remote raids being the preferred form of raiding during and after the pandemic, Niantic introduced some changes to the mechanic to incentivize players to leave their homes. This provided the company with valuable location data to sell for a profit.

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Are Pokecoins still valuable in Pokemon GO?

Pokecoins are still useful for upgrading storage capacity and building Remote Raid Passes (Image via Niantic)

While the purchasing power of Pokecoins has dropped significantly in recent years, this currency is still valuable and can be found for free. A player's storage capacity of Pokemon and items in their bag can be upgraded using Pokecoins. Thus, grinding for coins is still worth it.

Gamers can obtain Pokecoins for free by sending their Pokemon to defend a gym controlled by their team. They generate 50 Pokecoins after successfully defending one of these gyms for 8 hours and 20 minutes.

However, no more coins can be generated by the defending Pokemon afterward, meaning players will need to send another creature to defend a different gym or have their first defender get knocked out.

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For more information on Pokemon GO, check out the articles below:

• Ditto disguises
• Sierra counters
• Cliff counters
• Arlo counters
• Giovanni counters
• Team GO Rocket Grunts