Every year, Niantic holds an event called Pokemon GO Fest. It only lasts a day or two, but Pokemon GO Fest is usually one of the highlights of the year for fans that still play the six-year-old mobile game. Unfortunately, this year’s didn’t really go smoothly.
Pokemon GO Fest 2022 concluded a week ago, but the response has been very divisive. The in-game event, particularly the first day, had visual errors and a lack of Shiny encounters despite a boost that was supposed to be in effect. It is also worth noting that people paid $14.99 to be able to participate in this event.
Well, Niantic has responded to the criticism. However, it may not be the answer that people wanted. Niantic director Michael Steranka said that “we understand that for some Trainers, the biggest way they judge the quality of a Pokémon Go event is on how many Shiny Pokémon they catch. We heard from Trainers who shared how lucky they were this year in terms of Shiny Pokémon caught, while others shared how their experience was the opposite. If Shiny Pokémon are too prevalent, it degrades the game in the long term”.
Steranka continued, saying that “Pokémon Go Fest events are about coming together for a weekend of fun catching, raiding, battling, and exploring. Ideally, the totality of the content of a given event makes you feel like the event is a good value—the Special Research, the bundle of in-game items such as raid passes and Incense, the Global Challenges, the spawns, the storyline and so on”.
