Pokemon Go players furious over Niantic’s response to Go Fest 2022: “What are we paying for?”

Pokemon Go Fest 2022 left a large number of players dissatisfied with the lack of Shinies they encountered, and even more are disappointed with Niantic’s response to the situation.

Trainers greatly anticipated the events of Go Fest 2022 as Niantic promised an increased Shiny rate during the annual two-day affair. And with the digital ticket costing three times as much as it was the year prior, players expected the event to be three times greater.

Sadly, players flocked to the internet following the event to express their disappointment with the event. Many even deemed Pokemon Go Fest 2022 the worst event Niantic had ever put on.

This displeasure stems from two major complaints: the lack of Shiny Pokemon players encountered and a bug that plagued players with “ghost” incense spawns. Niantic has since addressed one of these concerns, but it wasn’t in a manner that most players expected.

Niantic’s response infuriates Pokemon Go players

In an interview with Dot Esports, Niantic director Michael Steranka spoke to players’ complaints regarding Shiny Pokemon. “If Shiny Pokémon are too prevalent, it degrades the game in the long term,” he stated, also noting that Niantic realizes some players judge the quality of a Pokemon Go event based on how many Shinies they catch.

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This response didn’t sit well with the community, especially those who do judge an event by its Shinies. A Reddit post sharing Steranks’ response was met with a flurry of complaints from displeased Go Fest participants.

“This is the worst response imaginable,” one user stated. “It’s fine to say that you don’t want people to get shinies too easily, but don’t sell tickets on the basis of boosted rates.”

Others scrutinized the price of the ticket compared to their in-game return. With a ticket costing $15, the most expensive global event ticket to date, players were left wondering what they paid for. Many puzzled trainers pointed to Community Days and Kanto/Johto Tour where shiny rates are drastically higher than they were during Go Fest 2022.

But what ruffled players’ feathers the most was Niantic’s lack of response to the Incense bug. A glitch that tormented players for 48-hours caused Pokemon to appear on screen that had already despawned, leading to players tapping on Pokemon before having them frustratingly poof away.

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Niantic did not respond to these concerns during their interview, and the Pokemon Go community wasn’t going to let that slide. “Big-ticket items were locked behind incense,” one user pointed out. “Incense was broken all weekend.”

This sentiment was echoed throughout the comments more so than players complaining about Shiny rates. They stated that Shiny Pokemon didn’t “degrade the game” nearly as much as bugs that impacted Incense and Lure Modules.

But, according to Steranka, Go Fest – and events similar – are supposed to be about coming together for a weekend of fun, and enjoying all aspects of Pokemon Go. “Ideally, the totality of the content of a given event makes you feel like the event is a good value—the Special Research, the bundle of in-game items such as raid passes and Incense, the Global Challenges, the spawns, the storyline, and so on.”