The first ever Pokemon Go Fest happened this weekend in Grant Park. But the event quickly turned into a Pokemon No Go.
The festival, which sold out in minutes and attracted roughly 20,000 attendees from around the world, was the first real-life gathering of fans of the augmented reality app, in which users train and battle Pokemon they capture around their city or neighborhood. Pokemon Go Fest organizers said there would be a "legendary" Pokemon unveiled at the Fest, adding to the anticipation for the game's devotees.
But things didn't exactly go as planned. By 8 a.m., both the early access and standard lines were "thousands" of people deep, according to TechCrunch. With limited cell reception and server issues, most players couldn't log into the game for most of the day, and the app was reportedly crashing in seconds for those who could log in, according to The Verge. When Niantic CEO John Hanke took the stage at 11 am, he was met with boos and chants of "We can't play!" and "Fix your game!"
By mid-afternoon, it was clear that things weren't going to get better. Niantic announced it would refund the $20 ticket to all attendees as well as give $100 in Pokecoins to those who checked in at Grant Park. The company also announced that everyone who attended would automatically get the legendary Pokemon Lugia (a purple dragon-like creature, first debuted in the film Pokemon: The Movie 2000).
“Just know that the staff here are pretty horrified with the results, so they want to make good as fast as possible,” a Niantic spokesperson told Polygon.
But that's not to say the in-person meetup was a complete disaster. Once Niantic announced the range of Special Pokémon, Eggs, and PokéStop check-ins would be increased to a two mile radius surrounding Grant Park through Monday morning, Pokemon Go players were able to gather throughout the city and successfully interact with the game and legendary Pokemon.
However, it does indicate that the smash-hit game, which still has about five million daily active users worldwide (down from last summer's Pokemon Go mania height of 45 million active users), has some work to do as they attempt to transition the app from a one-hit wonder to a sustainable game.
It seems Niantic is going to use this as a learning experience as they figure out a less error-ridden way to gather fans of its game into a real-life setting.
"We appreciate the patience of all the Trainers who joined us in Chicago this weekend, the company said in a statement. "We will strive to make sure our experiences are of the highest quality going forward."
Photo credit: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg
