In Summer 2017 there was much excitement and anticipation over an anniversary event in Chicago for Pokemon Go. Sadly, not everything went to plan, and unhappy attendees launched a class-action lawsuit to obtain reimbursement for assorted costs. Niantic has now settled the lawsuit, paying out a reported $1.5 million (USD).
The outdoor festival was planned to take place at Grant Park in Chicago in July 2017 to allow fans of Pokemon to attend in the hopes of catching some of the first Legendary Pokemon to be released for the augmented reality (AR) title.
Similarly to the first release of Pokemon Go, connection issues and swamped server quickly caused issues. Niantic blamed the cellular coverage in the area for the inability of attendees to access the promised special rewards, as the 3G and 4G networks were congested from the sheer number of people attempting to get online.
Niantic announced that all ticket costs would be refunded players would get $100 worth of in-game currency. However, many attendees were still left out of pocket on associated costs such as hotel and transportation and launched a Class Action lawsuit in response.
According to documents seen by TechCrunch, Niantic will be paying out $1,575,000 to reimburse costs such as air fare, hotel costs, parking fees and car rental. The settlement should be up by 25thMay, 2018 with an email containing details sent to attendees to inform them of the details.
Those wishing to claim costs will need to have checked in to to GO Fest via the Pokemon Go app, and anyone claiming over $107 in expenses will need to provide receipts.
The failure of the event in Chicago meant that the planned Pokemon Go European Safari Events were postponed, though Niantic have yet to announce any future dates for the events, which were expected to take place in Copenhagen, Prague, Stockholm and Amsterdam.
Pokemon Go remains one of the most successful AR titles, having generated approximately $1.8 billion in revenue. Further news on Pokemon Go and other AR apps will be here on VRFocus.