Pokemon Go Fest is a bit of a mess and Niantic's CEO got booed - but you're getting $100 PokeCoins for your trouble
The first Pokemon Go Fest hasn't gone off without a hitch. Or two. Or even three. But, there's a silver lining for those at home.
Pokemon Go Fest Chicago is being held today in Grant Park and there have been a few issues along with some crowd booing.
One of the main complaints at Pokemon Go fest are constant connectivity and latency issues, making the game unplayable for many attendees, as noted by reddit.
And it's not just at Grant Park in Chicago either as Pokemon Go players all over are reporting the same issue.
No word at present how the server problems have affected the ability to complete the Challenge Windows.
The Pokemon Go Twitter account even acknowledged the server connection issues, and said Niantic is working as quickly as possible to address the problem. With folks from all over the world logging in, the servers aren't able to accommodate the influx it seems.
Tickets to the festival were only $10 a pop, unless purchased by third-parties, but even with the cheap ticket price many paid quite a bit of money just for travel only to be met with long lines for anything and everything at the event. Even the line to get into Grant Park was beyond massive. Which, considering the amount of people attending, it's to be expected. We're unsure how many are there at the moment as Niantic hasn't announced any numbers.
But long lines and connection issues are enough to throw a bit of cold water on what was expected to be a fun day. And that's a bit of shame.
And speaking of cold water being tossed (thanks, BlackBeltGaming), when Niantic CEO John Hanke hopped on stage to address the crowd, he was met with lots of booing, and folks chanting "We Can't Play" and "Fix the Game." Oh dear.
To compensate attendees for the trouble, Ninantic is refunding Pokemon Go Fest attendees the ticket price, and handing out $100 worth of PokeCoins to everyone - yes, even those at home - at a later date.
While we were unable to confirm the information in this tweet at first, Ninatic CMO Mike Quigley took to the stage at the event to announce the news (thanks, Serebii).
And also, because of the long lines and the amount of people crowded into Grant Park, Niantic has said the increased spawns at Pokemon Go Fest will be widened to two miles for the duration of the weekend. This should increase the chance for rare Pokemon spawns near the event.
Hopefully everything will work out in the end, and next year, Niantic will do some tinkering so things run more smoothly.