Pokémon GO: PokéCoins to be regulated in Japan? (Financial Times)

Just like most F2P titles, Pokémon GO features an in-game currency (called PokéCoins). This currency can be bought using real money, and is used to purchase various items in-game. According to the Financial Times, Japan’s Financial Services Agency is apparently considering regulating that in-game currency, as a prepayment system.

If the FSA was to rule that PokéCoins are a prepayment system, then it would fall under the Payment Services Act. As a result,Niantic would have to…

• disclose the balance of unused in-game currency held by users in March and September every year

… and if in either month, the total came to more than 10 million Yen (about $96 300)….

• deposit up to 50% of the unused currency balance in Yen in Japanese bank account, as security.

Right now, the FSA is discussing this with Niantic, and we don’t know when a decision will be made.

One thing’s for sure: this sudden interest of the FSA for micro-transactions is certainly… interesting. After all, microtransactions are pretty much the norm in Free 2 Play games, especially on smart devices. They have been included in games for several years now, and can be found in the majority of the most successful mobile games in Japan.

If the FSA was to rule that PokéCoins were a prepayment system, then that decision would most definitely have an impact on all games featuring microtransactions.

According to SuperData Research, revenue from mobile games in Japan has generated 8.6 billion yen (about $83 million) in 2016, which is three times as much as in 2012. In other words, microtransactions aren’t new at all, and have in fact generated a lots of money for publishers over the year. It’s not like Pokémon GO was the first game to make money that way.

Source: Financial Times
Via: ANN