Last weekend, the big GO Fest took place in Pokémon GO . However, now the players are demanding compensation from Niantic. The developers failed to communicate one of the tasks clearly enough.
What is the problem? On July 17th and 18th, GO Fest was held in Pokémon GO. A large celebration with many rare spawns, special research, legendary raids, and more. Among the contents was to assemble a “band” to take on the melody Pokémon “Meloetta”.
Players could purchase a ticket for the event to unlock a special research task. While completing the research, they had to choose between rewards, including “Pop Star Pikachu” and “Rock Star Pikachu”. Players claim that Niantic was not clear enough regarding the electric Pokémon (via Dexerto.com).
It is said that Niantic did not clearly communicate that the Pikachu with special costumes could only be found with snapshots on the first day of the event. Players thus missed out on several encounters and catches of the special Pokémon.
Did Niantic not communicate clearly enough?
This is what players say: On the platform Reddit, a post has gained significant attention in the last hours. Player H4TM7N demands: “Niantic, fix the chaos around Pikachu’s Rock/Pop”. The thread on Reddit has over 440 comments. Many players explain that they caught only one Rock/Pop Star Pikachu on the first day and wanted to catch more on day 2.
H4TM7N writes (via reddit.com): “Since GO Fest, I’ve seen many posts about trainers not getting additional Pikachu. I feel that Niantic’s communication could be better. It is not stated that the research must be completed on day 1 to get the surprise.”
In Niantic’s announcement about the special Pikachu, it states:
Complete this special research to receive rewards such as an encounter with a mysterious Pokémon, a t-shirt, and an exclusive pose for your avatar! Don’t forget to take a snapshot after completing the special research – a surprise awaits you!
Source: PokémonGOLive.com
Even considering that this quoted announcement falls under the “Day 1” section, according to H4TM7N, it would be a limited-time research and not a permanent one, he explains.
Others write about it:
- “I wish they would just give the additional Pikachu in a special research instead of messing around with snapshots” (via reddit.com)
- “Since it could only be obtained by completing it over the weekend, it should have been listed under ‘Today’. Very poor communication” (via reddit.com)
- “I also didn’t know that you MUST finish on day 1. There was so much to keep track of. As a result, my husband and I only got one and no additional ones to trade. I was confused that this was tied to the special research and not the limited-time research” (via reddit.com)
- “Many players thought that GoFest was a 2-day event – finishing their research on Sunday. Both days are losing the Pikachu snapshots. I read all the promotional material, and this subreddit and I missed [the information] too. So I was very poorly informed […]” (via reddit.com)
Note: In another blog post, Niantic explained more clearly when which Pokémon appear through snapshots (via PokémonGOLive.com):
- Make a snapshot during the event period on Saturday as soon as you complete the special research. This will result in a wild Star Pikachu or Rocker Pikachu appearing – depending on which one you selected earlier.
- Make a snapshot during the event period on Sunday as soon as you complete the special research. This will result in a wild Gardevoir or Libelldra with Meloetta hat appearing – depending on which one you selected earlier.
What would be the solution? Among other things, a suggested solution is that the developers should hold a one-day event where all eligible players can catch the Rock/Pop Star Pikachu again.
However, the developers at Niantic have not yet commented on this.
Are you also disappointed that the special Pikachu were only available for one day and that Niantic did not communicate this clearly, or do you not care about these Pokémon? Let us know here on MeinMMO how you feel about the issue and whether an additional event day as compensation is necessary.
