On the list of potential controversies related to Pokemon, Pokemon GO‘s eggs are relatively low on the list. Nevertheless, it seems Niantic is going to experiment with a change to Pokemon GO‘s eggs in response to a larger, disconnected controversy: loot boxes in video games and their association with gambling, particularly in children’s games. Many Pokemon GO players may never have made that association with eggs, but Niantic is acting on it anyway.
Niantic recently announced it’s rolling out a change to how eggs work in Pokemon GO for a limited number of players. For these players, the Pokemon that can hatch from an egg will be revealed straight from the player’s inventory. Clicking on an egg will reveal a list of all possible Pokemon that can hatch from it, as well as rarity levels for those Pokemon in order to convey the odds of acquiring it. Niantic does note that the change will not show if the Pokemon is Shiny or not.
The change is a clear nod to the ongoing discussion over loot box regulation in the video game industry. China, for example, has had laws that require the publication of “draw probability” for digital items since 2017. A European Union report into loot boxes recommended regulation with options like publishing odds. Similarly, video game publishers including Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony said they were considering self-regulation that may include disclosing odds in 2019.
Niantic hasn’t been forced to implement these changes yet, at least not outside of China. It’s experimenting with the change to evaluate the impact it will have on egg usage in Pokemon GO with the awareness that it may have to make such adjustments in Europe or America in the years to come. That way, if the data shows users opening eggs less often, it can potentially change how eggs work to an entirely different system.
The decision to implement this new feature, even with it available to only a minority of Pokemon Go players, appears to be going over well with the community. Players are excited about being able to see what Pokemon are in each egg, since it can be very confusing even for veterans.
That doesn’t mean the system is perfect, however. Players are already asking for Niantic to also add the specific odds of catching Pokemon, as well as another long-requested feature – being able to delete eggs. The current change remains a test, so Pokemon GO players should let Niantic know if and how they’d like to see this feature develop going forward.
Pokemon GO is available now on mobile devices.
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