Pokemon Go is Breaking Google Play TOS by not Disclosing the Item Drop Rates or Shiny Rates for Paid Events
Trainers, it seems like Niantic and Pokemon Go are breaking Google Play Terms of Service by not disclosing the item drop rates of shiny rates for paid events.
According to Google Play TOS, Niantic and Pokemon Go need to disclose the item drop rates or shiny rates for Pokemon encounters and tell you what items you could get from a paid event. Unfortunately, it seems like Niantic and Pokemon Go are breaking Google Play TOS and players have no idea what they get when buying event tickets.
To be honest, we, the team at FGR didn’t know anything about this, but thanks to PkmnMasterHolly and her statement, which makes a lot of sense, we are obliged to inform the Pokemon Go community about all the things that are happening in the world of Niantic and Pokemon Go.
According to Google Play Terms of Service Policy Center Monetization and Ads Payments, “Apps and games offering mechanisms to receive randomized virtual items from a purchase including, but not limited to, “loot boxes” must clearly disclose the odds of receiving those items in advance of, and in close and timely proximity to, that purchase.”
To be honest, Niantic and Pokemon Go never disclose the item drop rates or shiny rates of Pokemon encounters for paid events.
PkmnMasterHolly is the first to announce and find these irregularities, and we, the FGR team, support her 100%.
🚨📢 @PokemonGoApp you’re breaking @GooglePlay Terms of Service by not disclosing the item drop rates or shiny rates for paid raids/paid event tickets like Pokémon GO Fest/Pokémon Community Day research/the Kanto Tour.https://t.co/LPLislCqeH@Google @NianticHelp @NianticLabs pic.twitter.com/QmpEMR58yz
— PkmnMasterHolly #HearUsNiantic (@PkmnMasterHolly) August 23, 2021
What are your thoughts about this? Do you think Niantic and Pokemon Go are breaking Google Play TOS and are only interested in making money? Why don’t they listen to us?
They were not the first, nor is this new. As a day one player this has been complained about for years. Glad you published this, hopefully someone will listen.
Since when has niantic cared about anything other than milking the cow? Covid is worse then ever and they remove our distance bonuses. We spent a fortune on passes hoping to get a shiny and half the time they mislead us about the rates.
That darn Ever event pissed me off. Bought the ticket and never saw an evee all weekend. Support wasn’t helpful either. This coupled with the rollback on covid measures has close to uninstalling. Definitely not spending money anymore.
While I don’t enjoy defending Niantic, but they are not breaking that particular ToS, as it doesn’t apply to the rng that covers shiny rates as we are not buying the actual pokemon.
It also doesn’t cover eggs as we buy tge incubator not the actual egg.
This is the WORST type of article where people don’t actually fact check anything or they don’t understand the actual mechanics of the game.
Pokemon Go is not a Gatcha game. That is, it does not and has not ever sold Pokemon directly. You can purchase Incubators and not eggs. You can purchase Raid Passes and not Legendaries. You can purchase Pokeballs but not Pokemon.
Loot boxes and Gatcha based games directly sell you a box that contain “random” units at a drop rate that must be disclosed. Pokemon Go does NOT have any of this. Dejan Kacurov, if you are a “hard core gamer” you would know this and would not have published such a falsely accusing article.