Verizon Blames Niantic for Pokemon Go Fest Failures

Last weekend’s Pokemon Go Fest was a PR disaster for Pokemon Go. Network errors, long lines, and frequent app crashes plagued the over 10,000 Pokemon Go players at the event and forced Niantic to refund everyone’s money.

In the aftermath, Pokemon Go developer Niantic accepted responsibility for the event’s failure, but they also suggested that they weren’t solely to blame for the event. A video by the Niantic-sponsored Pokemon Go YouTube channel Trainer Tips suggested that cell phone providers dropped the ball by not providing enough bandwidth and network capacity for the event.

However, one of those cell phone providers are now refuting that claim. A spokesperson for Verizon Wireless claims that their company was not at fault for the problems at Pokemon Go Fest. “This was not a Verizon issue,” the spokesperson told Business Insider.

According to Verizon, the company had in fact boosted its network capacity for the event. The Verizon rep also pointed out that players at Pokemon Go Fest could freely access sites like YouTube and Facebook, “which indicated the issues were outside of Verizon’s control, like an issue with the game’s server itself.”

On the one hand, Pokemon Go server issues aren’t uncommon and many fans remember last summer’s frequent traffic overloads. However, players with Sprint (who provided portable cell towers for the event) and T-Mobile both reported far better experiences than those with AT&T and Verizon coverage.

We’ll probably get a detailed explanation about what really happened at Pokemon Go Fest at some point, but Pokemon Go players are at least reaping the benefits. Several “global rewards” unlocked at the event were recently extended through Thursday.

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