Pokémon GO added more advertisements to the game recently, offering players a chance to earn rewards. But the items they can earn are simply not worth the trouble, according to players on social media.
They’ve reported getting low-quality items, such as potions, berries, and Stardust which equals only two Pokémon caught.
“Give me a permanent extra incubator and I’ll watch even the whole LotR+Hobbit movies back to back,” the top-voted comment addressing the issue on Reddit reads.
In the thread, players suggested the developer includes Poffins in the rewards pool so that ads are worth watching. “I wouldn’t sit through a video for this,” one player said. “I did get the AR promos… and I was more than happy to do that for a Poffin. I stopped seeing them when the new season started and was hoping they’d come back. But this is longer and no good rewards.”
When given to the Pokémon you’ve set as Buddy, Poffins allow them to remain longer with the player in the overworld (for six hours in total, compared to three hours when giving regular berries). It also doubles candies earned by walking and heart gains.
Related: Pokémon Go players remain wary about future of game following new advertising from Niantic
It’s highly valuable in Pokémon GO because it’s sold for 100 PokéCoins in the shop. For this reason, many players considered getting the better part of the deal when the developer added sponsored gifts to the game. It’s not the case with video ads, however, and many players said they’re turning off the option.
Ads have been optional in Pokémon GO since they were first added over a year ago. Players can turn in sponsored PokéStop discs to earn a few items. Watching video ads, on the other side, is more constraining.
They were officially re-introduced to Pokémon GO’s live servers today, and there’s no telling if it’s only a test or if they’re going to remain permanently. Players who don’t want to bother with this feature can simply turn it off in the game’s settings.
