'Pokemon Go' Cancels EX Raid For A Very Strange Reason

What happens when Pokemon Go sends out EX Raid invites to a gym that no longer exists?A group of [...]

What happens when Pokemon Go sends out EX Raid invites to a gym that no longer exists?

A group of Wisconsin trainers found out the answer to this the hard way when they discovered that Pokemon Go removed the gym where the Raid was to take place. The EX Raid, which allows an group of invited players to battle Mewtwo, was to take place at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

While players were excited to get an EX Raid Pass on Tuesday, they discovered that their raid passes disappeared overnight. Upon further investigation, these players learned that Pokemon Go removed the gym at St. Matthew's, thus leaving their planned Raid without a location. Obviously, Mewtwo can't just spawn spontaneously without a gym, so Pokemon Go pulled the Raid Passes without any sort of notification or warning.

So, why did Pokemon Go remove the gym location? No one's quite sure, but the most likely reason is that someone connected to the church complained about raid groups gathering on their grounds. The game's developers are also in the process of adding and removing a ton of gym and PokeStop locations, so St. Matthew's could have been a victim of some sort of automatic re-balancing algorithm.

Whatever the reason, Pokemon Go didn't attempt to get in touch with trainers or try to move the EX Raid to a different location. Instead, they simply pulled the passes and hoped that players wouldn't notice before the Raid was to take place.

The unfortunate timing of the gym removal is just another sign that Pokemon Go's EX Raids are definitely still a work in progress. Players can't be too happy with learning that their first (and possibly only) chance to capture Mewtwo was taken away due to poor timing on Niantic's part.

As of press time, Niantic hasn't contacted players affected by the Raid Pass snafu. However, this incident is proof that you shouldn't count your Mewtwo before they hatch from giant Raid eggs.

0comments