The past two days may have been short, but Trainers around the world know that the recently concluded Pokémon Go Fest 2020 was a truly unique experience. Indeed, it was a good respite from the stress of the ongoing pandemic.
Two main things helped make the festival very memorable. The first is that the event was held virtually. The second was that despite being purely online, it was now a global event. Thus, it didn’t come as a surprise that the reimagined festival had a record number of Trainers participating, coming from 124 countries around the world.
Even before the festival started, Trainers were treated to shows and connections with one another through the Virtual Team Lounge. Here everyone had a chance to sit back, enjoy, and watch the different livestreams. The actual event was started with a kickoff keynote from Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke.
During the first day of the GO Fest, Trainers were treated to a number of activities. There were the five rotating habitats that allowed Trainers to catch Pokémon of different types. Then there was the Special Research that was only available on this day. The biggest was possibly the Global Challenge Arena. In this one, Trainers worldwide had a chance to work together and finish challenges which were handed out every hour.
While Niantic didn’t reveal early what was going to happen on the second day, there were those that probably had an idea. That’s why when it was officially announced that Team Go Rocket was trying to take over the event, if wasn’t that much of a surprise. Even then, it was still fun, especially for those who managed to encounter a Shadow Mewtwo.
The Pokémon Go Fest 2020 also had some interesting stats. For example, Trainers caught almost 1 billion Pokémon. There were also at least 58 million Team Go Rocket members defeated. So what else? Around 55 million gifts were sent. Finally, Trainers on average walked almost 15 kilometers each. There’s no doubt those are impressive numbers.
In a statement released to the press, Niantic Director of Marketing and Global Live Events Michael Steranka said that the past weekend was all about coming together as part of a large global community and be able to connect with each other over love for the game. He went on to say that he extends his “heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated or who helped make this event possible.”
There’s no question that this was indeed a fun event. In my case, this was the first time I managed to attend a Go Fest event. In just a few minutes since the festival started, I managed to catch quite a lot of Pokémon with high combat power compared to when I was just grinding it out. The global challenges were interesting as well, though there were limitations on my end due to the pandemic. I also liked fight against Team Go Rocket, even if I also got my ass handed to me a couple of time. Hopefully even when things go back to “normal,” Niantic will continue with a virtual version of the festival.
The festival may be over, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to do. The first of the Ultra Unlock Events is starting this Friday, July 31. Learn more about that here.
What about you? What was your favorite part of the festival? Let us know in the comments section below.
- As Close To Living Pokémon Fantasy As It Gets
- Active And Engaging Experience
- Lots Of Mon And Events
- Battles Aren't What Fans Expect
- Very Grindy
