Pokemon Go community furious over “loot box” Flower Crown Happiny

Pokemon Go players are outraged over the Spring into Spring Easter event. The celebration features a Flower Crown Happiny Egg that needs Incubators to get unless you’re insanely lucky. The rare ‘mon has sparked a debate over whether the mobile title has a lootbox or “pay-to-win” problem.

Since its launch in 2016, Pokemon Go has allowed players to collect Eggs which eventually hatch ‘mon. The addicting gameplay design was based off a popular feature from the Game Freak RPGs.

The mobile title’s 2021 Spring into Spring event, however, has sparked a debate over whether the hatching mechanic has become like “loot boxes” after fans began to complain about how rare Happiny is.

Pokemon Go Flower Crown Happiny sparks loot box debate

On April 4, Pokemon Go launched its annual Spring celebration event. Tying into its Easter themes, players could visit PokeStops to find Eggs which contained special versions of ‘mon wearing Flower Crowns on their head.

Reports begin to spill online of Trainers hatching hundreds of items only to not be able to find a single Happiny. While Eggs can be obtained free in the game, Incubators cost real money once players run out of them.

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Serebii’s Joe Merrick commented on the backlash on Twitter, and stated, “Yep, the Happiny odds are ridiculous. I’ve seen so many reports of over 100 eggs and no Happiny. The hatch chances being shown as just icons isn’t good enough, and locking things to eggs in a limited event is so bad.”

Since the Easter event went live on April 4, Go players have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations. “That’s how this disgraceful company scams people out of money. I spend $30 and so far haven’t hatched a single Shiny,” a user exclaimed.

Another wrote, “70 + Eggs so far with no Happiny. Thank you NianticHelp.” One fan tweeted, “I don’t understand why Happiny is so rare?” which quickly received a reply saying, “money that’s why.” Other Trainers simply called the Egg situation “scummy.”

The low Happiny hatch odds also had Pokemon fans comparing the Egg mechanic to loot boxes. Although players are not forced to buy incubators, the rare ‘mon being locked behind the feature for a limited time only has some fans furious.

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While some were able to hatch the special Gen IV Normal-type with ease, the flood of reports is an example of how truly random hatching in Go is. For some, the Easter event has become too much.