Pokémon Go developer Niantic will add a weekend to its annual Pokémon Go Fest to make up for issues plaguing the event up until this point. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time on August 16, players who purchased tickets to the original event will be able to participate in many of the activities that were available during the prior Fest weekend in July.
On the first day of the Fest, the game featured habitats that it would rotate through to provide players the opportunity to catch a wide variety of different pocket monsters. The make-up day will feature habitats revolving around fire, water, and friendship for an hour, in that order. While the first two habitats are relatively self-explanatory, the friendship habitat will feature some of the cuter creatures in the pokédex, such as Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Eevee.
On top of the rotating habitats, players will be gifted two incense and two remote raid passes. Incense attracts Pokemon to the player and lasts up to an hour rather than the usual 30 minutes. Raids, which usually require a player to go somewhere, require a pass to compete. The remote raid passes allow for players to participate in the large multiplayer boss battles without having to leave their home.
Lastly, there is an increased chance that any gifts given by other players will include a rare candy, a consumable that can be given to any Pokémon in the players’ party to increase their power or potentially evolve them.
Due to coronavirus, Niantic was unable to hold its annual event at specific locations as the company has done in previous years. Instead of forgoing it entirely, Niantic made it available to all players around the world. This produced some complications, however.
While the event, held on July 25 and 26, turned out to be a huge success for Niantic, many players had connectivity issues, particularly when trying to join a raid. Many changes to the game have been made to adjust for its roaming nature, which could not be accommodated after the pandemic began. Still, spending on the platform has increased during the period of stay-at-home orders.
