Poké Stop: Pokémon Go Players Launch Campaign After Sale Report Stokes Monetization Fear

Niantic’s augmented reality video game phenomenon, Pokémon Go, may soon find itself under new ownership — and some fans are already working to keep it from reaching this next stage in its evolution.

Long-time players of The Pokémon Company’s trend-setting mobile experience were sent into a frenzy last week when a Bloomberg report suggested that Niantic was in talks to sell its video game efforts to Saudi-owned company Scopely for around $3.5 billion. It’s a deal that could involve the trade of titles such as Monster Hunter Now, Pikmin Bloom, and, yes, Pokémon Go, with an announcement reportedly expected to arrive soon. There’s been no word on how significantly a leadership change could impact in-game mechanics and microtransactions… yet.

Scopely oversees a fleet of notable mobile experiences that range from board game offshoots like Scrabble Go and Monopoly Go! to games like Stumble Guys and Marvel Strike Force. The one element scaring Pokémon Go players more than anything else is the microtransaction practices these titles are notorious for. With the real-life-adventure spinoff continuing to play a crucial part in players’ lives nine years after its release, thousands of fans are concerned that things could take a turn for the worse.

“They will still probably release Mewtwo X and Y, except you have to pay $100 just for a chance to get them,” one Reddit user theorized. “If everyone here knew what they did to Marvel Strike Force, we’d all panic. They will absolutely drive this game into the ground.”

Looking for an Everstone

Fear of Scopely ownership stems more from the aggression behind these monetization tactics rather than the tactics themselves, and it’s this same fear that drove Reddit user and long-time Pokémon Go fan Tetrylene to take action. As rumors of Niantic’s interest in a sale gained momentum, he published a post in hopes of organizing a campaign for other Pokémon Go-ers to respectfully let The Pokémon Company know that, regardless of ownership, there are certain changes they won’t stand for.

“But here’s the thing: we must try and exert some leverage,” Tetrylene’s post says. “By reaching out to (The Pokémon Company) we can express our concerns and emphasize the importance of maintaining some semblance of [the] game’s current ethos. They’ve invested heavily in the Pokémon brand and are likely to be receptive to feedback that could impact its reputation.”

That post, now more than one week old, generated 1.4K upvotes with hundreds of comments from like-minded fans. Tetrylene tells us his initiative began with a desire to bring the community’s concerns front and center. There’s no telling if the message will actually reach The Pokémon Company in a meaningful way, but he says the discussion his post has brought to the table was well worth the effort.

“In the same vein that loot boxes have all but been turned into a toxic monetisation option for the industry, I hope that our pushback sends a signal that there is absolutely a limit to how much a player base will put up with,” Tetrylene explained. “This is all very defensive, but part of me hopes that there’s a chance that the new owners want to capitalise on the incredible potential of the game rather than bleed it dry. The door is wide open to both possibilities; I hope we can try and guide them towards the former rather than the latter.”

Like any one of the other millions of Pokémon fans, Tetrylene holds a few Pokémon close to his heart — his favorite is a tie between Groudon and Metagross. When he says “Gen 3 for life,” he means it. He tells us Pokémon Go has been his go-to hobby for two-and-a-half years, adding that the mobile game has also served as an excuse to meet up with friends at least once a week.

It’s blossomed into an activity that sees Tetrylene co-leading an active group of nearly 70 players. It’s led to trips to new cities — and new friends. While much of the world moved on from Pokémon Go when the honeymoon phase eventually wore off, a dedicated group of trainers continues to routinely connect with others, show off their Pokémon collection, and battle.

Type Advantage

No two players enjoy Pokémon Go in the same way, though. For every casual Pokémon Go fan there is one who has spent thousands of dollars on it.

Reddit user and a self-proclaimed Pokémon Go big-spender known as a “whale,” NextLevelEvolution, penned an open letter to Scopely amid rumors of Niantic’s potential sale. It stops short of being a call-to-action but does come with the warning that a more aggressive monetization strategy would likely “break trust with the user base” and “alter the game enough that it would no longer be considered a true Pokémon-franchise experience” by fans.

“For me, Pokémon is extremely nostalgic. And I believe Pokémon Go is in a pretty good place right now and on a generally upward trajectory for the first time in several years,” NextLevelEvolution told IGN. “At their best, Pokémon games are about adventure and discovery. When Pokémon Go first came out, the idea that I could be a Pokémon trainer in the real world was enough to get me and millions of others hooked. I hope the spirit of this game is not lost to make another quick buck.”

They say they’re aware of other whales who have spent “many thousands of dollars” per year, and “none of them are excited about the possibility of Scopely purchasing Pokémon Go.” For now, NextLevelEvolution isn’t optimistic that a community-driven movement to bar aggressive monetization tactics will gain enough momentum to make a difference, but they’re at least willing to vote with their wallet if worse comes to worst.

“I’m not particularly hopeful that this will have any effect,” they explained. “But I can tell you that if I have to pay to get rid of ads in the game, then they will lose me as a customer entirely and many other whales I know as well.”

Stay Aware of Your Surroundings

There’s debate surrounding the current state of Pokémon Go and if existence under the Scopely banner would actually result in a worse experience. Regardless of how the game has been or will be monetized, Niantic has spent nine years molding it into something that is both beloved and messy. Tetrylene has a laundry list of tweaks he’d like to see implemented that includes the ability to skip certain animations, an NPC to trade with, new points of interest, fleshed-out in-game communication options, and more thoughtful placement for raids.

The general consensus is that Pokémon Go needs some upkeep, but its most devoted fans still see the experience as a once-in-a-lifetime hobby that is as exciting as it is fragile. For them, it’s hard to look at how Scopely has monetized other titles and not see it as a threat to a fun pastime and the tool millions use to stay connected.

Tetrylene hopes the momentum continues but has at least been “pleasantly surprised” by how the community has responded to their call to action. He says pulling players together in this way has resulted in some already reaching out to The Pokémon Company to make a difference. Without confirmation that Niantic is actually looking to sell, Pokémon Go remains as something Tetrylene calls “the ultimate social hobby.” What it might look like in the coming years remains a mystery.

“There will never be another game like Pokémon Go,” the community organizer told us in one final message to The Pokémon Company. “There is no other game that can truly claim to be social in the way that this one is. There may never be another game — of any genre — that fosters a global community on this scale, even after nearly a decade. There still is no other mobile game that lets you stumble through an unfamiliar place and quickly find new friends for life.”

He continued: “The prospect of losing all of this to a cold investment firm that doesn’t care for any of that truly saddens me. Does the journey really end here? It doesn’t have to. Pokémon GO still has so much left to give. Let it soar.”

IGN has contacted The Pokémon Company and Niantic for comment.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).