Pokemon GO Raised The Price of Its Best Shop Item

Pokemon GO has increased the price of its Ultra Raid Box, arguably its best bundle in the shop. While Pokemon GO’s ongoing Forever Forward season has been quite rewarding for fans, this price increase is an unexpected move from developer Scopely.

It has been a busy few months for Pokemon GO. After its ambitious GO Fest Global, which introduced Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y, the game has continued to launch major events such as Nickit’s Community Day and Mega Starmie’s debut. As Pokemon GO gets ready for its Mega Finale event in early September, players are gearing up for a weekend full of Mega Raids. However, it seems stocking up on Raid Passes will now cost more PokeCoins than usual.

Pokemon GO Increases Price of Ultra Raid Boxes

Pokemon GO players have begun reporting a price increase for the Ultra Raid Box, a popular in-game bundle that includes 99 Premium Raid Passes and other upgrading materials. The box now costs 5,600 PokeCoins instead of the usual 5,425 without adding more Premium Passes or TMs. So far, only some players have noticed this change in their in-game shop, but the developers will likely roll out the price surge worldwide gradually. The increase comes just before Pokemon GO’s new costumed Pikachu Raid event on August 25.

The Ultra Raid Box is a fan favorite because it offers a fair price for a ton of Premium Raid Passes. It is unclear why Scopely has decided to raise the cost of one of its most popular items. Pokemon GO has not confirmed that its Mega Finale weekend will gift additional free Raid Passes, so the Ultra Raid Box could come in handy for many players, even considering the price increase. It is worth noting that Pokemon GO’s Super Mega Raids no longer require Premium Passes, but plenty of other Raids during the Mega Finale event will.

There is a chance that the price increase is linked to how PokeCoins can be obtained more easily than before. In Pokemon GO‘s early years, coins were only available through Gyms and real-money purchases. Nowadays, the GO Pass offers plenty of free-to-play PokeCoins every few months. Still, the cost change on the Ultra Raid Box may well disappoint players who now have to spend an extra 175 hard-earned coins. On the other hand, Pokemon GO recently added a free-to-play auto-catcher gadget, a feature that used to be exclusive to the paid GO Plus+ device. Whether more player-friendly features can be added in the future remains to be seen.

The highly anticipated Mega Finale event has already confirmed the Pokemon GO debuts of Mega Delphox, Mega Greninja, and Mega Chesnaught. Powerful Mega Pokemon like Mega Raichu X and Y, Mega Malamar, and Mega Dragonite are also making a comeback. Mega Mewtwo X and Y will also appear in Raids on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, respectively. In the meantime, fans can currently unlock a free 100% Mega Mewtwo Y in Pokemon GO to celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary.

Systems

Released

July 6, 2016

Engine

Unity

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op