In Pokémon GO trainers were supposed to receive Ninjatom as a gift. Instead, there was a legendary bird.
On the evening of November 1, 2018, trainers could not believe their eyes. At 9:00 PM, the reward for the field research breakthroughs changed. Niantic announced that Ninjatom would be the reward.
The big surprise occurred when trainers suddenly saw a fire bird flutter across the screen. Apparently, a wrong switch was flipped by the developers. Oops!
Lavados instead of Ninjatom – Pokémon GO distributes incorrect rewards
Shortly after 9:00 PM on November 1, many trainers redeemed their research breakthroughs.
What is a research breakthrough? Research in Pokémon GO are quests. Anyone who redeems 7 field research tasks over 7 different days receives a research breakthrough. This results in an encounter with a special Pokémon. These encounters change every month. In October, it was still the legendary Pokémon Suicune.
What happened? Niantic stated that trainers would be rewarded with a Ninjatom starting November 1 at 9:00 PM when they submit their research breakthrough. However, this time it turned out quite differently. Instead of Ninjatom from Generation 3, the encounter was with Lavados. A legendary fire bird from Generation 1.
In social media, the news spread quickly. Also in our Facebook group about Pokémon GO, many trainers reported that they had an encounter with Lavados in Pokémon GO. Confusion ensued.
And what about Ninjatom now? Around 9:15 PM, the first reports came in from trainers who, as planned, received an encounter with Ninjatom as a research breakthrough.
Apparently, for a few minutes, the wrong research breakthrough was released by Niantic.
Will the trainers be compensated? On Twitter, Niantic’s support responded to some affected trainers. They apologized that for a short time Lavados was the reward instead of Ninjatom. Affected trainers should submit a ticket request to Niantic. Here you can fill out a request on the Niantic support website.
How to stay updated in Pokémon GO: Follow our Facebook page about Pokémon GO to always be quickly informed with the most important news.
Did you receive a Ninjatom or Lavados?
The Adventure Sync is now active for the first trainers in Pokémon GO
