Since the release of Niantic’s own app Peridot, the game has also come under direct criticism. Many call the game not only Pay2Win, but go one step further and call it Pay2Play.
The focus of Peridot is very clear: raise small, cute pets, perform tasks with them and make them grow. Once they are fully grown, you can mate them with other players’ Peridots to create new, unique Peridots.
What worked wonderfully in the beta of the game and captivated me for a few weeks was completely different after the release of the game. While you could breed in the beta almost without restrictions, suddenly a nest was needed which had to be bought for 5€ in the store. A usury as many players call it.
Shortly after the hype followed the sobering truth: Hardly anyone was willing to support this usury financially and the player numbers sank into the basement. Niantic’s product owner then announced that they would think about ways to improve this point of criticism.
After that, it was quiet for a few months and most assumed that in this case Niantic reads the feedback, but deliberately ignored as it had already done several times. Now it came to an official announcement which promises great. However, we took a close look at what exactly lies behind it.
Hi there, Keepers!
We wanted to provide an update regarding our recent Nest experimentation and share some changes we’ll be making to provide alternate ways for you to obtain Nests in-game.
Starting in early August, we’ll make the following changes:
- Keepers will be able to claim a Nest on each 30th login of the Daily Login Bonus
- Going forward, Keepers will be able to claim Nests as rewards from the Keeper’s Journey as they reach the following levels: 5, 10, 15, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 44, 47, 50
- Starting in August, there will be at least one special quest per month that rewards a Nest
In addition to these changes, we will also be setting up a limited-time offer in the in-game Store where current Keepers above level 25 can claim some free Nests before August 14. The quantity of Nests will vary depending on Keeper level.
–The Peridot team
Conclusion
If you convert the price of 5€ for a nest, you are worth 0,16667€ per day to Niantic as a player when you log into the game and interact with your Peridot. 16 cents… You can get another nest by participating in monthly challenges… As we know from Pokémon Go, these are never done quickly but are very time consuming. 13 more nests you can get as level rewards if you keep playing the game actively, although you can’t do anything without spending money to breed. Another free nest you will get if you have stayed on the ball until now and have already reached level 25. For comparison: Despite several weeks of playing Peridot intensively in the beta, I am only level 6…..
In summary, it’s a step in the right direction, but the game still remains pay2play because without the breeding factor, this game is even worse than an old Tamagotchi.
