Pokémon GO recently experienced a surge with the Halloween promotion that is just now coming to a close, and the assumption Niantic would be quick to offer additional incentives to draw players back in seems to have been a safe one. They just announced an upcoming “daily bonuses” feature that rewards players for using the app on a daily basis.
That’s great news for players who are still working on their Pokédex, as well as anyone looking for a reason to come back to the game—or a reason to play it more often. When the update rolls out, players will receive a bonus of 500 XP and 600 stardust for catching their first Pokémon on any given day, and doing so for a full week straight will yield an additional 2,000 XP and 2,400 stardust. Pokéstops will function similarly, with a single daily visit earning 500 XP (and extra items) and a full week earning 2,000 XP (and even more items).
It may not seem like much, but any extra incentive is helpful as the game’s progression naturally gets less rewarding—and, of course, they could always add more bonuses. One for walking a minimum distance daily, as opposed to the general walking incentive of the Buddy Pokémon, would be welcome. Not only that, but for all the mountains of cash Pokémon GO has reportedly raked in, it’s also been noted as kind of a “poorly monetized” game (mostly meaning it doesn’t wring players out for every last penny). The in-game items available for purchase are far from necessary to play and enjoy the game, which likely means Niantic needs more active players to reap the same financial rewards as some of the other, more aggressively monetized titles out there.
That’s going to make bonuses like these—along with more events like the Halloween one—important in the future to keep the number of players up and keep the game making money over the long haul.
(image via Niantic)
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