Pokémon GO developer Niantic recently implored its players to stay away from a public park in Las Vegas unless they purchase a $30 in-game content card.
Sunset Park was the site of the Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn event that took place February 18-19, and for those who paid $25 before the new year or $30 after, let players take part in all sorts of additional activities within the Pokémon-focused game from Ruby and sapphire.
Players descended on the park hoping to raid, capture, trade, and battle pocket monsters, but the 17,000 regular players show up allegedly disrupted the local network and rendered the game unusable for those who paid.
Players (and the public) did not have to pay to enter the park, but only to access the additional content available in Pokémon GO itself.
As I mentioned EurogamerThe first day of the personal event ended in frustration, with many players complaining that network issues caused them to disconnect from raids, or completely prevent them from logging into the game.
Niantic later acknowledged the issue in a tweet from the official Pokémon GO account, stating that “17,000 additional trainers without tickets joined us at the park, causing spotty communication all day”.
In a subsequent tweet, the developer It asked non-ticketed coaches to stay away from the public park entirely, in order to “ensure a smooth event for Sunday ticket holders”.
We’re asking Trainers who don’t have a ticket for the Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn – Las Vegas to refrain from joining us at the park tomorrow, to ensure a smooth event for Sunday Pass holders and Trainers who have the Sunday Extra Day Add-On.
– Pokemon Go (PokemonGoApp) February 19, 2023
The company has also sought to appease disgruntled customers by extending the duration of select events that take place across the city, and offering affected players a free pack containing three premium, remote raid passes.
However, connection issues reportedly continued throughout the weekend, despite calls for players without tickets to stay away.
Although Niantic claimed it was the extra players’ fault, this isn’t the first time this has happened with Pokémon GO. The original Pokémon GO Fest in 2017 ended badly to the frustration of many players who, similar to the most recent game in Las Vegas, struggled to connect to the game, and connectivity issues led to other events as well.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video game news for IGN. He has more than eight years of experience covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and there is absolutely no time to fool you. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
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