Niantic's Pokémon GO Fest from last year was disastrous, but the company is giving it another go with the newly announced Summer Tour 2018.
This year, the Pokémon GO Summer Tour will take place in the United States, Europe, and Japan, promising new and unique ways for Pokémon GO fans to work together on challenges and make their own adventures.
'Pokémon GO' Fest 2018
"It's time to mark your calendars and get ready for an exciting lineup of Pokémon GO events all over the world," touts the Pokémon GO team. "This year we're bringing dynamic live events to even more places. It's the Pokémon GO Summer Tour 2018!"
In the United States, the Pokémon GO Fest will take place on July 14 and 15, at Lincoln Park in Chicago, spanning a 1.8-mile area. On a global scale, the Summer Tour will bring new Safari Zone treats on June 30 until July 1 in Dortmund, Germany, and later this summer (no specific date mentioned yet) in Yokosuka, Japan. The Chicago Pokémon GO fest is just a part of this tour.
'Pokémon GO' Fest 2018 In Chicago
The 1.8-mile long walking course in Lincoln Park will include exclusive activities, immersive gameplay, special installations, and an unprecedented experience for Pokémon live events. The ticket will cost $20 for a single-day pass and will go on sale on May 11 on the dedicated website for the event.
Will It Be Better Than The 2017 'Pokémon GO' Fest?
Last year, the Pokémon GO Fest was a bust. Attendees complained that the game was unplayable and that they spent money and time for nothing, and Niantic ultimately refunded them for the tickets. Even so, that didn't stop disgruntled fans from launching a class-action lawsuit against Niantic over the Pokémon GO Fest disaster.
Niantic agreed to pay a hefty $1.6 million to settle that lawsuit, and yet here it is again ready to launch another ambitious fest with an even wider reach than the previous one.
This time, however, Niantic reportedly learned from its mistakes and is taking several precautions so that it doesn't experience the same issues as last year. Niantic will better explain to carriers what technical requirements such a mobile-focused event would involve, as it would put significantly more strain on the network.
The long walking course should also ensure that not all attendees are concentrated in the exact same place at the same time, which should further help with signal strength and not overwhelming the network.
Would you trust that Niantic has figured out how to handle such issues and make a Pokemon GO Fest that works? Would you attend one of these events from the upcoming Summer Tour? Let us know in the comments section below.
