With widespread lock downs and social distancing taking place due to the unfortunate COVID-19 crisis, getting out and about to the usual Pokemon GO Fest events was going to be impossible this year. However, by replacing them with a worldwide online event, developer Niantic has encouraged large numbers of fans to catch a gigantic number of Pokemon. Specifically, the players who took part in Pokemon GO Fest 2020 managed to catch almost 1 billion of the pocket monsters.
Celebrating the success of Pokemon GO Fest 2020, Niantic revealed that 'millions' of trainers took part in the event, and in doing so participants walked a very long way, traveling an average of 15 kilometers each. In addition, players defeated over 58 million members of the nefarious Team Rocket, and sent 55 million gifts to other trainers. The event also raised more than $10 million, which will be used by Niantic to fund Black gaming and augmented reality creators and developers, supporting the Black community following recent events and protests.
As part of the event, Pokemon GO trainers from around the world could work together to complete challenges and unlock bonuses, including "Ultra Unlock weeks," special bonus events that will take place from Friday 31st July 2020. Players could also connect in the Virtual Team Lounge, designed to simulate the experience of hanging out with other players at the real-world Pokemon GO Fest events.
Last year's Pokemon GO Fest 2019 was the first to take place in more than one location, visiting three cities around the world, Dortmund in Germany, Yokohama in Japan, and the event's usual home, Chicago. Whilst these events were extremely popular, attracting almost 300k people according to Niantic, moving the event online has opened it up to many more gamers, in many more places. In the process, the event appears to have helped further invigorate the title, bringing back lapsed players and attracting new ones, building on a surprisingly successful lock down period, which estimates suggest saw an increase in spending in-game.
While Niantic will be likely to resume face-to-face events once the COVID-19 crisis calms down, the huge participation and engagement created by the first worldwide Pokemon GO Fest may inspire the developer to think about doing the same in the future, potentially alongside the physical events. Either way, the positive results combined with lock down growth has certainly provided a powerful answer to critics and gamers who suggested the game was in terminal decline.
Of course, it is yet to be seen whether the success of Pokemon GO Fest is maintained, but Niantic has at least given themselves a new opportunity to attract gamers back for the long-term.
Pokemon GO is available now on Android and iOS.