Niantic has made a number of significant changes to Pokémon GO to make Mega Evolutions easier to use following a raft of fan complaints. The mechanic has been present in Pokémon games since the sixth generation and essentially allows players to upgrade certain creatures into an even more powerful form for a limited time. However, the introduction of Mega Evolutions into Pokémon GO has proven controversial.
Despite introducing Mega Evolutions into Pokémon GO following months of fan requests, Niantic faced a barrage of criticism. Many believed that the company was taking advantage of players by forcing players to buy expensive microtransactions in the form of Raid Passes to get the necessary Mega Energy to trigger Mega Evolutions. However, this in-game currency lasts for just four hours and can generally only be attained via Raids. That means anyone wishing to Mega Evolve their Pokémon would have had to buy extra Raid passes to keep a steady supply of Mega Energy.
That all looks to have changed in a new update that Niantic has pushed out for Pokémon GO. The developer notes that it has now reduced the amount of Mega Energy needed to trigger a Mega Evolution and also increased the amount of Mega Energy players get from winning Raids. These are not the only changes made to the mobile game, though, with Niantic also confirming that players should have more ways to earn Mega Energy outside of Raids. For example, walking with a buddy Pokémon or carrying out research tasks will reward the player with Mega Energy.
Pokémon GO has been in the headlines for a number of other reasons over the last week. It emerged in a report a few days ago that developer Niantic was being sued by a tech company over the studio's use of augmented reality technology in the mobile game. According to a lawsuit filed in a California federal court, Pokémon GO allegedly infringes upon a number of patents owned by NantWorks. Meanwhile, Niantic also confirmed that the app would be dropping support for some older devices from next month. Those who play the game using phones that run Android 5, iOS 10, or iOS 11 will have to upgrade or lose access to the title in October. Those with an iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 are also in the same situation.
Seeing Niantic make such rapid changes to Pokémon GO is a welcome sign. Mega Evolutions have been a long-requested feature to the AR mobile game and the implementation of the feature left a lot to be desired. After all the goodwill generated throughout lockdown, Niantic risked alienating a large portion of the game's fan base. But the swift response shows that the company does listen to player feedback and doesn't want to make Pokémon GO completely pay-to-win.
Pokémon GO is available now on iOS and Android.
Source: Niantic