Pokemon Go Fest 2022 Plans Announced

Niantic has announced plans for Pokemon Go Fest 2022. The event will feature both a global event taking place on June 4th and June 5th, as well as three in-person events in Berlin, Seattle, and Sapporo throughout the summer. Berlin's Pokemon Go Fest will take place July 1st to July 3rd, Seattle's will fall on July 22nd to July 24th, and Sapporo's will take place from August 5th to August 7th. No other information was provided about the upcoming event, although the logo for Pokemon Go Fest 2022 features flowers similar to those worn by Shaymin, a mythical Pokemon that first appeared in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. 

Pokemon Go Fest was originally introduced as a live event launched in Chicago, featuring exclusive Pokemon and storyline bonuses. While the first event struggled due to players overwhelming data signals, subsequent events were much more well-received. When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020 and prevented in-person gatherings, Niantic shifted the event to a global scale, allowing all players to participate provided they purchased a digital ticket. In recent months, Niantic has started reintroducing live events around the world on a more modest scale. It's likely that this summer's Pokemon Go Fest events will be the first major live events hosted by Niantic since the pandemic. 

Pokemon Go is currently celebrating its "Season of Alola," which features the introduction of Pokemon from Pokemon Sun and Moon to the game. While the new Pokemon are keeping players occupied, the game is also dealing with upset fans due to changes to its Community Day event, which saw the monthly event's duration decreased from 6 hours to 3 hours. The game is also preparing to roll out an April Fool's Day event focused on the transforming Pokemon Ditto.