Niantic is trialling a feature that will allow certain players in Pokemon Go to see a list of Pokemon that might hatch from eggs. The feature isn't being rolled out to everyone, but it's assumed that if it's successful then it will become available to all players in the future.
What does this new egg hatch list mean for Pokemon Go?
According to Niantic on Twitter, some players will soon be able to see a list of Pokemon that could hatch from an egg. They'll also be able to see the rarity level of the Pokemon in the list. However, Niantic clarifies that you won't be able to see whether or not the Pokemon will potentially be shiny. All you need to do if you want to view the list - if you're part of the test - is tap the egg in question. Again, remember that not everyone is part of the test, so if you don't see this feature, you'll have to wait a little longer to take advantage of it.
As some players have rightly pointed out, Niantic won't be adding hatch rates to the lists. This means that although you'll be able to see which Pokemon could hatch from the egg, you won't be able to see what chance each individual Pokemon has of hatching. In essence, this means that eggs in Pokemon Go will still function like loot boxes. You need incubators to hatch eggs, and although every player has one unlimited incubator in their possession, you need to buy additional incubators if you want to hatch multiple eggs. That's why some are looking at eggs in the same way as loot boxes; you're effectively paying to speed up the process of obtaining random content.
Why is Niantic introducing this feature?
There's a good chance Niantic is looking at introducing this feature to Pokemon Go because it wants to avoid ever-increasing scrutiny of the way loot boxes are handled in gaming. Last week, it was announced that Germany would consider loot boxes in their ratings process going forward. UK MPs have expressed concern regarding the way the gaming industry is regulated. Elsewhere, countries such as the Netherlands and Canada have imposed heavy penalties for companies including loot boxes in their games. Niantic is likely adding lists of Pokemon to its eggs in order to dodge this kind of scrutiny, but as long as the contents are essentially random, it's hard to imagine they'll escape the loot box hammer for long.
We'll bring you more on this feature and on Pokemon Go in general as soon as we get it, so stay tuned. You can download Pokemon Go right now for free via the Google Play store or the Apple iOS store.
What do you think of Niantic introducing egg hatch lists to Pokemon Go? Let us know in the comments below!
