In b4 sudden drop in popularity once it gets dethroned by a match 3 rhythm AR hybrid beast that found a more addicting hook.
Sometime mid next week
Does this game have any kind of hook besides the brand? Does it even have monetization? I don't remember Ingress having particularly lasting popularity after the first month.
The hook is to keep and hold gyms for your team with strong Pokemon, which will get you free Pokecoins. Apart from "catching it all" of course, which is still intrinsically fun outside of the brand itself.
The only other way to get Pokecoins is to buy them with real money.
With Pokecoins, you can buy:
- Pokeballs (self explanatory, though why they won't let you buy Great/Ultra Balls out of the gate is anyone's guess.)
- Incense (attract more Pokemon for yourself for 30 minutes)
- Lucky Egg (doubles XP for 30 minutes)
- Lure Modules (attracts more Pokemon for every player at a specific Pokestop for 30 minutes)
- Egg Incubator (three-time use version of the Incubater every player starts with)
- Storage expansion for Pokemon (+50 capacity)
- Storage expansion for items (+50 capacity)
I think that's it. All in all, very useful things to have but nothing that will say, let you buy a specific ultra-rare Pokemon to the detriment of non-paying players. It's entirely possible to play the game without paying a cent.
Shit is still not active in Japan. I'm sure it will overwhelm ALL THE SERVERS EVERYWHERE when it does.
In the meantime, my poor trainer is wandering around a pastel wasteland.
Should make it easy to claim a bunch of gyms then.