Thanks to a new Brazilian court ruling, it appears that Pokemon GO incubators. which is the only way to hatch eggs in the game, have been banned. This ruling targets lootbox like mechanics which were aimed at children, essentially comparing it to gambling. Since, unlike the mainline games, hatching an egg in Pokemon GO does not guarantee a specific Pokemon, there is some ground in comparing them to lootboxes.
After the court’s ruling, incubators can still be received in the game through in-game drops. However, since these are extremely rare, this places a soft ban on hatching eggs for Brazilian players
Are Pokemon GO incubators comparable to lootboxes?
As per the ruling, a lootbox is a paid item that rewards the player a random item that they have no control over. While players have an idea of what Pokemon may be in an egg according to the tier, they are not given a straightforward guarantee. Additionally, Pokemon hatched from eggs have a higher chance to have better IVs and have better shiny odds as well.
It can be hard to argue that using incubators to hatch eggs is not a form of gambling since players have no control over the outcome. Keep in mind, mainline games do not have this issue since you get the exact Pokemon you want from an egg you hatch in them.
Also read: 10 best Pokemon to get in Road of Legends in Pokemon GO
Now, this ruling applies to a lot of other companies as well. Arguably, this game has been fined quite lightly compared to games owned by companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Tencent. But as hatching eggs has not been removed for Brazilian players, they are getting a far sub-par experience than the rest of the world.
How will Brazilian Pokemon GO players hatch eggs?
As mentioned previously incubators are still available, just not purchaseable. This was confirmed through an official response to a query from the Niantic Support account on X.
However, incubators can only be earned through limited means for free. Besides the single permanent incubator, players can occasionally get an incubator for leveling up (which takes a lot of time), through occasional Poke Stop spins (very rare), and by winning Poke Stop showcase challenges (again, very rare).
Also, indirectly purchasing the incubators from boxes or passes is not possible since they have been banned as well.
How have Pokemon GO players responded to the incubator ban?
The overall consensus appears to be in favor of the ban, while acknowledging that the gaming experience will be a lot worse. u/mkword on Reddit had this to say
u/batkave shared similar sentiments, acknowleding that while incubators make sense for gameplay, it is still gambling since players don’t know the official odds.
u/Dire_Southpaw makes a bold claim against similar monetization tactics.
They are going to fight tooth and nail until the very last major economy cuts them off and then they will fold but until then they will continue to act vindictively against every government that legislates against their malicious monetization
Finally, u/Shundo_Ray100 makes a comment on the Brazilian Pokemon GO player experience
Ive been discussing things with my community. Banning incubators and event passes is one thing. Can be just the beginning. If they go further and ban Raid Passes, the game is as good as over for us.
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Edited by Akash Sil
