"I have never seen something so greedy before other than EA or Ubisoft": Pokemon Unite fans unhappy with Dodrio being gem-locked

Dodrio, the first new Speedster Pokemon since Pokemon Unite's release, hasn't been quite as well-received as Tencent and The Pokemon Company may have hoped.

Trainers were initially upset with the fact that Dodrio could only be purchased with Aeos Gems. However, an alleged datamine posted by Reddit user Sodaim, which shows Dodrio costing 14,000 Aeos Coins after one week, has drawn even more scrutiny. This is because most Unite Licenses, even those for new Pokemon, cost no more than 10,000-12,000 Aeos Coins maximum.

Those who have logged in to Pokemon Unite since Dodrio's September 14, 2022, release date have likely noticed that the creature can only be purchased with Aeos Gems. This essentially means that players will have to use real-world money in order to obtain the gems needed to acquire Dodrio's Unite License.

According to Sodaim's Reddit post, Dodrio will be available for purchase with standard Aeos Coins on September 22, 2022, at 12 am UTC. However, the Pokemon will cost 14,000 Aeos Coins once its paywall is removed.

The news has been met with a significant amount of outcry from the Pokemon Unite community. One player even said they had never seen anything so greedy before apart from EA and Ubisoft:

The developer's decision has been met with comparisons to companies such as EA, who have a poor reputation (Image via u/RandomDudeinJapan/Reddit)

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Criticism comes down on Pokemon Unite devs as players react to paywall leak

Some Pokemon Unite players have speculated that Dodrio's increased price is the result of coin inflation.

Several trainers have recently reported amassing large amounts of Aeos Coins from gameplay, enabling them to buy many of the in-game Unite Licenses.

Players have recently considered this as a driving factor as to why TiMi Studio Group and The Pokemon Company seem to be raising the price of new Unite Licenses. However, this is unconfirmed by the developers themselves.

Here are a few more negative reactions to the news:

Dodrio as seen in Pokemon Unite (Image via funglr games)

While there has been plenty of criticism going around, some Pokemon Unite trainers in the Reddit post only took umbrage with the Aeos Coin price.

Some have stated that locking a new Unite License behind microtransactions for a week could be much worse, as many free-to-play game developers are much more exploitative.

However, the majority of players agree that a 14,000 Aeos Coin cost for a single playable Pokemon is incredibly steep.

Hopefully, TiMi Studio Group and The Pokemon Company will gauge player feedback after this recent controversy and react accordingly. It goes without saying that if enough players are unhappy with the way the game is priced, they may invest less currency towards content.

A dip in sales will likely grab the developers' attention if player complaints don't, and the prices may be adjusted accordingly. However, this isn't guaranteed, and the new "business" strategy provided for the game may be here to stay.

Without players, Pokemon Unite will suffer. Unfortunately, many free-to-play game creators acknowledge that they only need a small percentage of the overall player base to provide microtransaction revenue in order to make a profit.

The Pokemon Company has often maintained that player experience is vital to them, and that statement may be put to the test quite soon.