Pokemon Go Fest Disaster: Fans React To Connection Issues And Other Problems

With Pokemon Go Fest behind us and Legendary Pokemon sitting comfortably within Trainers' [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

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With Pokemon Go Fest behind us and Legendary Pokemon sitting comfortably within Trainers' collections, some have chosen to accept the Legendary peace offering and the refunds that were offered by Niantic as well as some free PokeCoins being given out to Pokemon Go Fest attendees as an apology. However, these measure from Niantic don't fully get rid of the sour taste that many players were left with after the much-anticipated live event.

Throughout the event, players were plagued with issue after issue that ultimately resulted in the big Legendary Raid battle that would determine whether players worldwide would get access to the Legendary Raids being scrapped. Trainers both in Chicago and worldwide had plenty of grievances throughout the day-long event, issues that likely won't disappear from Pokemon Go players' minds anytime soon.

Connection Issues Dishearten Players

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(Photo: The Pokemon Company)

When getting ready for Pokemon Go Fest, players already had plenty of factors to prepare for. Tickets, travel and lodging in Chicago, and even the weather were just a few of the main concerns that players had to look out for. One of the most crucial setbacks of the event was one that players most definitely couldn't prepare for, and that was connectivity issues that prevented players from even opening the game that they were there to play.

Due to the overwhelming presence of players at the event, phone services were throttled, preventing many people from opening the game for more than a few seconds at the time. Even those who could get into the game were sometimes met with error messages that prevented them from doing much of anything. One Reddit user's account of Pokemon Go Fest sums up the connection issues by detailing multiple missed raid opportunities amid plenty of time spent waiting to reconnect. It's not a fantastic start when one of the highlights of a Trainer's experiences was eating some delicious cheese fries after considering leaving the event early several times.

Online during the event, players weren't letting Niantic off the hook either. Twitter was plagued with gif after gif of what they called exclusive looks into the Pokemon Go headquarters, one of the most popular ones seen below.

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Event Organizers, Niantic Employees Face Frustrations

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Of course, with thousands of players present at the event, if it's not going well, a certain level of crowd mentality will be seen, and the Pokemon Go event was no exception. As the day went on and players were growing dissatisfied with the event, they looked for solutions from those in charge of the event. Getting an answer wasn't too easy in the beginning as event organizers were likely looking for answers just as much as Trainers were, and when they finally gave a response, it didn't go well.

When Niantic CEO John Hanke attempted to take the stage and pacify players, he was promptly booed with chants of "Fix the game" quickly following. Another event host who was simply attempting to talk about the progress of one of the challenges was met with similar jeers and even had a water bottle thrown at her.

Despite that one player's overreaction, plenty of players who caught wind of the incident via Twitter condemned the action, saying that the outburst didn't reflect what the Pokemon community was about, and that the person should be ashamed of themselves.

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Viewers Compare Go Fest To Other Famous Failed Festivals

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In a pretty drastic "at least it's not as bad as ..." comparison, Pokemon Go players were reminded of other festival disasters that were reminiscent of the fallout that Pokemon Go Fest endured. Fyre Festival is probably not a phrase that any event organizer wants anywhere near the name of their event, but that's exactly what happened to Niantic with Pokemon Go Fest.

It didn't take long at all before tweets started popping up linking the two events together where onlookers called Pokemon Go Fest the Fyre Festival of video games. While it wasn't as bad as the musical debacle earlier this year, some users still said that it was hard to watch the events unfold.

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Players Still Remain Optimistic After Setbacks

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(Photo: The Pokemon Company)

Despite all of these issues that the event was riddled with, many player still find ways to stay positive throughout the experience. Refunds are being distributed, free PokeCoins are an apology gift, and Legendary Pokemon are now in the game. For plenty of Trainers, that was more than enough.

After the event had concluded and Legendary Pokemon were released into the game both inside of Chicago and worldwide, the focus online quickly shifted away from Pokemon Go Fest and onto the Legendary Raids that were now available. With no Legendary Raid Pass needed and raids to be found everywhere, Twitter, Reddit, and other outlets were mostly filled with news of Lugia and Articuno stats as well as tips and details on catching them. In regards to the issues, Niantic ended the Pokemon Go Fest on a positive note with the release of Legendaries, and though players probably aren't ready to hear about a Pokemon Go Fest 2018, plenty will likely stick around to catch more Legendaries, even those of the same species.

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