In the wake of a disastrous Pokémon Go Fest, Niantic is lengthening its in-game mea culpa to players for a few more days.
Last weekend's first Pokémon Go Fest was plagued by bugs and crashes, to the point where those in attendance were unable to play the game for most of the event. While certainly unfortunate, the problems weren't particularly surprising for long-time players, who have grappled with Pokémon Go's stability issues since last year's launch.
Niantic tried to appease angry Pokémon Go Fest attendees by refunding their tickets and giving them $100 in-game currency. The developer is now extending an olive branch to online players as well, by lengthening the window of Pokémon Go's post-Fest bonuses.
Currently, players are earning double Candy and Stardust for in-game activities, as well as increased XP. Pokémon are also spawning at a higher rate, and the travel distance needed to hatch eggs has been cut down to a third of its usual requirement. Those bonuses will now last until 5:00PM PDT on Thursday, July 27. They were originally scheduled to end last night.
[Source: Twitter]
Our Take
I got swept up in the Pokémon Go craze like everyone else when the game first launched, and while I don't log in much anymore, I still think it's a great way to get gamers out of the house and interacting with one another. That's what Pokémon Go Fest should've been – a family-friendly event where fans could meet up, socialize, and catch Pokémon together. Niantic has been trying to make up for the game's problems, but what players want more than bonuses or in-game goodies at this point is a stable platform. Given the amount of cash Pokémon Go generates, there's simply no excuse: Niantic needs to fix its tech issues and offer rock-solid performance if it wants fans to stay invested.