The annual Pokémon Go Fest will be held online from July 25th to July 26th this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event is usually held in select cities across the globe, allowing players to meet up at physical locations like large parks and play the popular AR title. The first Pokémon Go Fest was held in Chicago in 2017 to celebrate the game’s one-year anniversary, but future festivals would expand to other countries, including Japan and Germany.
This marks the first time Pokémon Go Fest attendees will be allowed to attend both days of the event — previously players could only attend one out of the two days. With the event going virtual this year, Niantic plans to increase the number of tickets available. “Since the event is now global, we’re taking steps to make tickets available to as many Trainers as possible,” Niantic director of marketing and global events Michael Steranka said in a blog post. Though Niantic has not yet detailed exactly what the two-day festival will include, it notes “new experiences, gameplay, and surprises” will be included.
Pokémon Go is an augmented reality game that relies heavily on outdoor exploration and physical presence. With most people staying at home, Niantic has adapted the game by adding limited-time remote-friendly features, such as virtual raids, to ensure fans are still having fun catching virtual monsters on their smartphones.
