Niantic Labs agreed to pay about $1.6 million to settle a class action lawsuit surrounding last year's Pokémon GO Fest in Grant Park, Chicago.
Attendees will soon be able to receive their share of the settlement, which is meant to reimburse the incurred costs of going to the failed event.
Remembering The 'Pokémon GO' Fest Disaster
The Pokémon GO Fest in Grant Park, Chicago on July 22, 2017 was supposed to be the culmination of the Pokémon GO experience. Players were supposed to work together to unlock and capture the first legendary Pokémon that will be introduced in the mobile game.
However, the event turned out to be a failure. The now infamous Pokémon GO Fest disaster was plagued by connectivity issues, as players in Grant Park were unable to log in to the Pokémon GO app. Niantic Labs and wireless carriers passed the blame between each other, and it was all too much for attendees. A class action lawsuit was filed against Niantic Labs by unhappy attendees, who incurred costs on top of the event tickets.
Niantic Labs Settles Pokémon GO Fest Lawsuit
According to a TechCrunch report, Niantic Labs has agreed to a settlement for the Pokémon GO Fest class action lawsuit. The developer will pay about $1.6 million to attendees to reimburse costs that include plane tickets, hotel reservations, parking fees, and other expenses.
Court documents reveal that an official website detailing the settlement will be put up by May 25 and attendees will receive an email regarding the matter. The documents also state that people claiming their share should have checked in to the Pokémon GO Fest through the mobile app, which will prevent scalpers who sold their tickets at higher prices from joining the settlement. In addition, attendees who would like to claim more than $107 will need to provide receipts of their expenses.
Will This Bring Back 'Pokémon GO' Players?
Niantic Labs certainly did the right thing in agreeing to pay up for the Pokémon GO Fest failure, in addition to the reimbursed $20 tickets, $100 of in-game currency, and access to legendary Pokémon for attendees.
The question now is whether the settlement will bring back players who quit after last year's Pokémon GO Fest to the game.
The latest Pokémon GO update adds quests and a storyline, which may renew the interest of players in the previously mostly multiplayer mobile game. The update also marks the arrival of Mew, one of the most popular Pokémon ever, to Pokémon GO.
