It appears that Niantic has learned from the mistakes made during the GO Fest. The Pokémon GO event in Japan had 2 million players participating. This raises hopes for future events like the Safari Zones.
There are many events planned for Pokémon GO in the coming months. After the chaos at the Pokémon GO Fest, trainers were uncertain whether they wanted to participate. Disrupted mobile networks and login problems gave the GO Fest a sour taste. However, the developers have learned from their mistakes.
During the Pikachu Outbreak in Japan, 2 million players attended, and the network remained stable. Niantic explains how they prepared for the event.
Stable network despite the first Mewtwo
The summer was a tough challenge for Niantic. At the Pokémon GO Fest on July 22, about 20,000 trainers were on-site in Chicago to participate in this event. However, shortly after the beginning of the spectacle, it became clear that the fest was a legendary mess. Players communicated to the organizers in chants that they could not play. Niantic explained that, among other issues, service providers were causing problems.
Ultimately, Niantic apologized to the fans: The team is shocked by the GO Fest. Apparently, such a mistake should not happen again, and the team of organizers worked hard to make the next event more stable.
The Pikachu Outbreak event in Yokohama (Japan) started on August 9. Was that enough time to make the event more stable? Apparently yes, because over seven days, 2 million players attended, who had no problems to report.
The fact that these 2 million players were spread over so many days likely alleviated the burden on the network and the servers. In total, players caught 120 million Pokémon. Even when the first Mewtwo were released in the game during the peak of the event (and these could only be caught during the event), the network and the game remained stable.
In preparation for the event, Niantic informed all major mobile network providers in Japan. They then ensured a stable connection.
Additionally, the event was structured to keep trainers moving. Rare Pokémon such as Unown, Chansey, Larvitar, and Shiny-Pikachu were distributed throughout the event area. This motivated participants to move around the entire festival grounds and not just remain in one position.
The ultimate event of the Pikachu Outbreak in Japan was the latest Legendary monster in Pokémon GO: Mewtwo. Niantic states that this encounter also went strictly according to plan and went smoothly. The developers prepared the servers for this grand finale to ensure that everything would go well.
The result speaks for itself: The problems of the GO Fest did not occur despite the large number of visitors in Japan. Niantic’s precautions were successful, and the community is pleased that the Pokémon GO team has made an effort for a positive player experience.
Soon, more events will take place in Europe, the Safari Zones. There you will catch special Pokémon that are otherwise rarely found in Europe. Thanks to the Pikachu Outbreak event, trainers are now optimistic that future events will run smoothly. In Centro Oberhausen, there should be 4000 tickets available for September 16, which will be distributed through a registration platform.
