Tag: Pokemon Go Fest

Pokemon Go Fest 2: The Comeback

Last year, Niantic (Creators of Pokemon Go) hosted a colossal event know as Pokemon Go Fest in Chicago. The purpose was to gather player all throughout the world to create a special event where people can play together and capture Luigia. Unfortunately, the event was executed poorly due to a poor internet connection, long lines, and the game failing to work. More details regarding the event are linked. Niantic faced many suits and paid up to $1.6 million to pay for damages, ticket prices, and travel fees. This year, Niantic is planning to host Pokemon Go Fest 2018 in Chicago and hoping to make up for their previous event.

July 14th and 15th, Niantic will host the “A Walk in the Park in Chicago.” It is a 1.8-mile walk in beautiful and lush Lincoln Park. There will be exclusive events hosted there and probably some rare Pokemon to catch. Tickets go on sale May 11th for $20.

Pokémon GO
Safari Zone, Les Quatre Temps – Dortmund, Germany

 

Niantic has learned from their previous event. Go Fest 2018 is smaller in scale in comparison to last years. People can only pay for a single day which helps spread the flood of people looking to join. By containing the event to a smaller venue (in this case a trail) this allows Niantic to have a stronger control over the line of people and the event overall. Niantic has also been hosting events throughout the world and has been having great success.

Sources:

Pokemon Go Live – Niantic

Polygon

Niantic owes $1.6 million for failed Pokemon Go Event in 2017

Last year, Niantic held their first outdoor event festival dedicated to Pokemon Go in June. It was held in Chicago Grant Park and the idea was for players to meet, catch the rare Pokemon, Lugia, and create an event that people have been asking for since the creation of Pokemon Go. It didn’t go as planned.

go fest b

Huge issues occured such as failed cellar connectivity, huge lines, sign in issues, and the inability to play the game frustrations and led to lawsuits. People were understandably frustrated and Niantic responded by offering to refund the 20,000 attendees the ticket price of the Chicago event and offer $100 of in-game currency. Niantic was involved in a class action lawsuit and will be paying $1,575,000 to refund the attendee’s ticket prices along with airfare, hotel fees, parking, car rent and fuel, and toll fees.

According to documentation in the Chicago court, the settlement should be solve by May 25th and victims will receive emails regarding the payment. There are check systems to ensure people aren’t lying about attending the event. You’ll need proof that you checked in at the Go Festival in Chicago and anybody who has spent over $107 must provide receipts to receive full reimbursement. If there is any leftover money, the remaining balance will be split evenly and donated to the Illinois Bar foundation and the nonprofit organization Chicago Run. Niantic will not receive any money for the event.

Business View:

From a business POV, its great to hear a company apologizing to their users. Recently, gaming companies have been closely inspected for poor business practices. Niantic has been working to create smaller, focused events such as raids for Pokemon Go and has clearly learned from their mistakes from the Chicago Go Fest. They have continuously improved and updated on the game and still remains as one the most downloaded app.

Sources:

TechCrunch