User:Adil/Pokémon GO Fest

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Logo for the first GO Fest

Pokémon GO Fest is an annual in-game and real-world event organized by Niantic to celebrate the Pokémon GO community. The inaugural GO Fest was held on July 22, 2017, in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois, marking the game's one-year anniversary with a special gathering of Trainers. This event established the festival's significance as a global celebration of the Pokémon GO experience, featuring collaborative gameplay, themed challenges, and new in-game bonuses.

The event

Pokémon GO Fest 2017

This Fest was a pivotal milestone for the game, featuring unique activities for both attendees at Grant Park and players worldwide. Its tickets for Chicago went up on June 19, 2017[1]. Trainers at the event participated in collaborative gameplay designed to unlock in-game bonuses for all players. Special timed "Challenge Windows" throughout the day tasked players with catching specific types of Pokémon to unlock certain perks. Global participants contributed to the overall challenge by catching Pokémon to extend the duration of unlocked bonuses. Successfully completing these challenges led to the unlocking of a "Mystery Challenge" at Grant Park, culminating in the appearance of Legendary Pokémon for the first time in Pokémon GO.[2]

In-game

The event was divided into three phases:

Phase 1: Catch Challenge

Location Challenge Rewards
Grand Park Catch Fire-type Pokémon Candy Bonus
Grand Park Catch Water-type Pokémon XP Bonus
Grand Park Catch Grass-type Pokémon Stardust Bonus
Grand Park Catch Electric-type Pokémon Egg Distance Bonus
Grand Park Catch Rock-type Pokémon Buddy Distance Bonus
Grand Park Catch Normal-type Pokémon Encounter Rate Bonus
Worldwide Catch as many Pokémon as possible Bronze: Increased Bonus Duration (24 hours)
Silver: Increased Bonus Duration (48 hours)
Gold: Mystery Challenge Unlocked.

Phase 2: Mystery Challenge

To unlock the Mystery Challenge within Grant Park, Trainers must achieve the gold tier in Phase 1’s Worldwide Catch Challenge. The mystery challenge was unveiled to be a Legendary Raid Battle, and successfully defeating it lead to the unlocking of Phase 3.

Phase 3: Global Reward

A global reward was unlocked once trainers in Grant Park successfully complete Phase 2, by defeating the Legendary Raid Boss.

Grant Park exclusives

Event map
(Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
Event Notes
Lugia Lugia Legendary Pokémon debut
Articuno Articuno To celebrate Team Mystic's win, and debut
Heracross Heracross Then-exclusive to South America
Unown Unown Increased spawn rates for six of its forms; C, H, I, A, G, and O.
GO Fest Medal.png Medal Exclusive medal for the Pokémon GO Fest.

Global rewards

John Hanke talking to the players

The global rewards were initially scheduled from July 22 to July 24[3], but were later extended to July 27, 2017.[4]

Information Reward
GO Stardust.png Stardust Double
GO Candy artwork.png Candy Double
XP Double
Pokémon encounters Increased
GO Egg 2 km.png Hatching distance Reduced
GO Best Buddy Ribbon.png Buddy distance Reduced

Legendary Raid Battle

Upon Team Mystic's win, an Articuno Raid Battle was announced. The remaining two legendary birds were also confirmed to appear soon after.[5]

Pokémon Date Notes
Articuno Articuno July 22 - July 31, 2017 Debut
Moltres Moltres July 31 - August 7, 2017 Debut
Zapdos Zapdos August 7 - August 14, 2017 Debut

Connectivity issues

The first Pokémon GO Fest was plagued with technical problems that impacted gameplay for many attendees, primarily due to severe connectivity issues and game crashes. As compensation, Niantic offered a full ticket refund to all registered attendees and awarded them with $100 worth of PokéCoins. Additionally, event-specific Pokémon, Eggs, and check-in PokéStops were accessible within a two-mile radius of Grant Park until July 24, 2017, for attendees who validated their event QR codes. Lugia was automatically added to attendees' accounts. This incident highlighted the complexities of hosting large-scale mobile events, prompting Niantic to enhance connectivity and infrastructure for future gatherings.[6]

Lawsuit

On July 27, 2017, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Niantic, Inc. Advertised as a major gathering for players, the event naturally saw attendees traveling from around the world. Ticket holders encountered delays, connection issues, and game crashes, despite Niantic’s efforts to provide compensation through $20 ticket refunds, $100 in PokéCoins, and other compensations. The lawsuit was initiated in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, led by plaintiffs Jonathan Norton and Kenneth J. Fleischer, representing the affected attendees. The suit alleged claims of misrepresentation, consumer protection violations, and unjust enrichment due to Niantic’s inability to deliver the promised gameplay experience.[7]

After extensive negotiations, the parties reached a settlement agreement in 2018. Niantic agreed to pay a total of $1,575,000, covering verified travel reimbursements, legal fees, and related expenses for attendees. The settlement, which Niantic entered without admitting wrongdoing, required attendees to submit claims by July 24, 2018, to qualify for compensation. The court granted final approval of the settlement on September 6, 2018. This resolution underscored the complexities of large-scale live events and Niantic's commitment to addressing attendee grievances, setting a precedent for future improvements to their event planning and technical preparedness.[8][9][10][11]

Impact

Despite the issues, the attendees participated in more than 69,000 Raid Battles and captured over 7.7 million Pokémon, including 440,000 Legendary Pokémon, over the weekend. Globally, players engaged in over 4.6 million Raid Battles and caught more than 500 million Pokémon, including 1.9 million Legendary Pokémon. In Chester, UK, a separate event hosted by Big Heritage attracted 17,000 attendees, blending historical exploration with Pokémon GO gameplay, showcasing the game's global reach and community spirit[12].

Pokémon GO Fest became a landmark event for Pokémon GO, evolving in subsequent years to include new locations, and a blend of in-person and global participation. The festival has expanded to feature themed in-game content, global raids, exclusive research tasks, and the introduction of rare and Legendary Pokémon encounters.[13]

References

  1. ↑ GO Fest - Chicago Tickets Now on Sale!
  2. ↑ GO Fest - Summer events
  3. ↑ GO Live - Legendary rewards
  4. ↑ GO global rewards extended
  5. ↑ IGN - Zapdos, Moltres Will Be Available for Limited Time
  6. ↑ GO Fest - Chicago Update
  7. ↑ Zimmerman Law Offices
  8. ↑ Class action settlement agreement
  9. ↑ Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
  10. ↑ GO Fest settlement
  11. ↑ Litigation notice
  12. ↑ Niantic Labs - Pokémon GO Fest in Chicago
  13. ↑ GO Fest - A Legendary first year of Pokémon GO

External Links

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