The Pokémon GO Fest in Chicago's Grant Park turned out to be a disaster, and while developer Niantic Labs shouldered some of the blame, it also attributed the failure of the mobile game's first real-world event to some carriers.
However, while the dust settles from the aftermath of the Pokémon GO Fest, players should instead focus on the arrival of the next Legendary Pokémon to Pokémon GO.
Niantic Blames Carriers For 'Pokémon GO' Fest Disaster
The Pokémon GO Fest was a reminder of Pokémon GO's early woes, as the event was plagued with technical issues. By the middle of the afternoon, the event's organizers decided to call off the event, with Niantic Labs trying to make it up to frustrated players by refunding their tickets, giving away PokéCoins, and adding the Legendary Pokémon Lugia to the accounts of the attendees.
In a blog post, Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke apologized once again for the software and network problems that prevent thousands of people from enjoying the Pokémon GO Fest.
Hanke said that the Niantic Labs technical team worked with the event organizers and telecommunications companies to try to solve the problems that players encountered during the event. Technical issues with the Pokémon GO app led to crashes and gameplay interference, but those were solved for most gamers through server configuration changes.
"A more protracted problem was caused by oversaturation of the mobile data networks of some network providers," Hanke said. Niantic Labs provided details attendance and data usage estimates to carriers to allow them to plan for sufficient coverage. However, according to previous reports, only Sprint and T-Mobile subscribers were able to access the Pokémon GO app without troubles.
Verizon, however, previously said that the issues were with the Pokémon GO app and not with carriers, so the game of passing the blame for the failed Pokémon GO Fest has officially started.
Moltres And Zapdos To Soon Arrive In 'Pokémon GO'
While Niantic Labs and carriers sort out who should be blamed for the Pokémon GO Fest disaster, players should instead focus on catching the long-awaited Legendary Pokémon.
Lugia appears to be in the game for a while, but Articuno, the Team Mystic mascot who was also introduced to the game at the Pokémon GO Fest, will apparently only be available until July 31.
The next Legendary Pokémon to arrive to Pokémon GO will be Moltres, the mascot of Team Valor, who will be released on July 31 and will be available until Aug. 7. Afterward, Zapdos, the mascot of Team Instinct, will arrive to the game on Aug. 7 and will be available until Aug. 14.
Players are recommended to train up the rock/ground-type Pokémon Golem to have a great chance at taking down and capturing these Legendary Birds.
