Gotta spend it all? Why Pokemon Go's monetization is making me re-evaluate my playtime

Excitement surged through the Pokemon Go community recently with news of an upcoming Research Task featuring Mythical Pokemon Zarude. But it wasn’t long before the excitement waned. Why? Because the Dark/Grass-type Pokemon was locked behind paid research. Absent since 2021, players were disappointed to learn the only way to snag Zarude was by purchasing the Rogue of the Jungle research ticket for $8. Many in the community felt the price was too steep, especially for a Pokemon some consider mer...