Pokemon GO player suggests new Lucky Friends mechanics

Pokemon GO was originally supposed to be a social experience. However, as the game ages and trainers step away from the title, the remaining player base is left with very little peers to play with in most areas. While the craving for battle can be satisfied by the online competitive Battle League mode, there has yet to be a solution for those looking to trade Pocket Monsters.

Many players have noticed that Pokemon GO friends have many ways of interacting with each other online. They can send gifts and raid with each other, thanks to the remote raiding mechanic. Trainers can also battle one another through the Battle League, but one Redditor on the game's subreddit has presented another interesting idea.

Dear Niantic, please allow distance trades for lucky friends. byu/Itsascrnnam inpokemongo

User Itsascrnnam pitched an idea that could allow for online friends to trade with one another online. At the moment, Niantic requires all players who want to engage in a trade to be right next to each other in-person. While trades are not required for gameplay, they do make evolving certain Pocket Monsters easier.

In their initial post, Itsascrnnam expressed that they would like long-distance trading to be an option for those who are Lucky or Best Friends in Pokemon GO.

Being Best Friends is acheivable by maxing out one's friend level with another player. Each social interaction afterward has the potential to make the two trainers Lucky Friends, rewarding them with Lucky Pokemon upon their next trade.

Comment byu/Itsascrnnam from discussion inpokemongo

Comment byu/Itsascrnnam from discussion inpokemongo

Many fans are not holding out hope for Niantic to include this feature, saying that the developer has no real incentive to allowing for distance raids without premium benefits.

Niantic's perceived anti-consumer practices have many concerned that the developer would not add something to the game for the sake of the players' experience but would rather prefer charging them instead.

Comment byu/Itsascrnnam from discussion inpokemongo

Comment byu/Itsascrnnam from discussion inpokemongo

However, many players feel like it is time for Niantic to allow such features as their game's roster expands. One user pointed out that many of the region-exclusive Pocket Monsters in the game make it borderline impossible for the average player to complete the Pokedex, outside of bannable methods like hacking.

As such, letting trainers trade long distance will allow more players to better complete their Pokedex in a legitimate fashion.

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Should Niantic allow online trading in Pokemon GO?

While it would be nice for online trading to be a thing in Pokemon GO, it is very unlikely to ever happen for free (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While most trainers would agree that allowing online trading would benefit the quality of life for every Pokemon GO player, it is most likely never going to make an appearance in the mobile game. Incentivizing players to leave their home is a big part of what makes the game any money.

This is the reason why remote raiding had to be nerfed some time after its release. Niantic loses a substancial part of its profits if in-person attendance for events or gameplay goes down.

With this in mind, it is most likely that online trading will neither never be in Pokemon GO, or it will be heavily monetized through a potential trading pass.