Niantic blames players for problems with Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn of Las Vegas

The Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn event held in Las Vegas over the weekend of February 18-19, 2023 was plagued by connectivity issues of all kinds. And instead of calming the already troubled waters, Niantic, the game's developer, is blaming the problems on the players themselves.

Niantic: "17,000 Trainers without tickets" caused connectivity issues on the Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn

The Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn of Pokémon GO on-site event held in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 18-19, 2023 was the highlight of the game's Season 9, called Mythical Wishes. Apparently, there were a lot of connectivity issues that prevented many players from even logging into the game. In a Twitter thread, Niantic, the developer of the game, addressed the issue.

"Trainers, we appreciate the enthusiasm you showed today at the Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn Las Vegas. An additional 17,000 Trainers without tickets joined us at the park, causing spotty connectivity throughout the day. This led to Trainers disconnecting from raids, being unable to log in, and other issues with gameplay. We ask that trainers who do not have a ticket for Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn - Las Vegas refrain from joining us at the park tomorrow, to ensure a smooth event for Sunday ticket holders and Trainers who have the Sunday Extra Day Add-On.”

Niantic itself blames the problems on 17,000 additional players who joined the game during the event. Several Pokémon GO users and players, both in the replies to this thread and in the tweets cited, suggest several possibilities: that there are indeed players who use external apps to change their GPS coordinates in order to enjoy the event bonuses without being in Las Vegas, or that the event itself relies on public Wi-Fi infrastructure and more players than expected went to play and used it without event tickets, causing problems for everyone.

In any case, the consensus is that Niantic's planning has been disastrous, especially considering that there are players who traveled to Las Vegas specifically to enjoy this on-site event. The "compensation" given by the company was to extend the event three hours longer than planned on Sunday, February 19, 2023. The community is not happy with the way the event has been handled.

Sources | PokemonGo on Twitter, Pokémon GO