Pokémon UNITE is finally getting Shiny Pokémon and no, they aren’t pay to win

Pokémon UNITE players have been calling for Shiny character variants for years and it looks like TiMi Studio is finally listening—sort of. After a datamined item sparked controversy, The Pokémon Company has now clarified things and confirmed this new content won’t be pay-to-win.

Through a series of datamines from the always present ElChicoEevee, the UNITE fandom learned Shiny Pokémon are being added in at least one form. The only assets shown were the Boss Rayquaza from the Theia Sky Ruins map, with it appearing with its alternate black, red, and gold color scheme—along with a look at Regidrago being added to the Pokémon MOBA title as a mini-boss too for a planned all-Dragon game mode.

It is unclear if Rayquaza will be the only Shiny Pokémon actually visible when in-game, but ElChicoEevee notes this could be a crossover with the Pokémon Horizons anime series, where a Shiny Rayquaza is a recurring character.

That is not what is causing the controversy, however. Instead, a new item that was initially dubbed “Shiny Spray” was discovered in the files and listed as a cosmetic that players would need to buy. This item apparently granted temporary stat boosts when used before battle. That is the definition of pay-to-win, which UNITE’s devs have been accused of utilizing multiple times since launch, whether it be the Held Items having levels or the Boost Emblem system. 

Initially, it looked like the Holowear Effect Spray could be applied to a single piece of Holowear for a set number of days, giving it a slightly altered look. A text string with the item’s code also noted it could increase a Pokémon’s HP by 50, Attack by five, and Special Attack by eight in every mode but tournaments. A spokesperson from The Pokémon Company has now reached out to several content creators and players to debunk that, however.

According to spragels, TPC told him the “Glitter Spray item is not intended to have stats attached. The text string is incorrect. The effect is cosmetic only.” So now we know the official in-game name for the spray and have what appears to be direct confirmation that the data is slightly outdated and will be adjusted when the item does go live.

TPC also provided some extra details, stating the Glitter Spray is an item that can be used to make your Pokémon glitter, along with any extra Holowear effects—it is “purely cosmetic to flex on top of a flex.” This wording also makes it sound like the Glitter Spray will not have anything to do with Shiny Pokémon despite the initial hype that it might temporarily unlock the alternate color schemes for playable Pokémon. 

To summarize this entire saga from the last 24 hours briefly: at least one Shiny Pokémon is being added to Pokémon Go in the form of Shiny Rayquaza and it could be part of an anime cross-promotion event, while the Holowear Effect Spray that players were worried about has seemingly been confirmed to not actually have any stat-boosting effects by a spokesperson for The Pokémon Company.

Along with all of this information, Miraidon and Falinks had more files pushed to the game’s backend, making them fully playable in non-official builds, with the former seemingly set to be announced or released around Pokémon Day on Feb. 27.

Ceruledge files were also discovered, pointing to it being a playable All-Arounder joining the Pokémon UNITE roster at a future date.