Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Following on from the Pokémon Go Fest, where possibly everything that could go wrong did in fact go wrong, a few dozen event attendees have formed a collective to file a class-action lawsuit against the developers, Niantic. According to Thomas Zimmerman, the lawyer preparing the lawsuit, the attendees feel that Niantic did not provide the experience that was promised and as a result want to be reimbursed for travel and other expenses.
Pokémon Go Fest was, in short, an embarrassment of an event, rife with various issues. Not only did attendees have to wait in line for hours to get into the event, but then the game wouldn’t work, apparently the result of congested mobile networks. Whatever happened it was clear that Niantic wasn’t prepared for either the server-load, or the full extent of the network congestion, and even more frustratingly for those who attended, it didn’t communicate with them about the ongoing issues at the time. It had contingency plan at all.
Niantic has already taken the step of offering full refunds for all of the tickets, which was an expected one. All visitors then also received $100 of in-game credit, as well as giving them all the promised legendary Pokémon. This isn’t what Zimmerman is taking issue with though. Whilst the gesture is acknowledged, the lawyer has said it’s ‘not enough’ and Niantic needs to take into account the inconvenience it’d created for those who’d travelled from out of town and had incurred greater expenses.
Speaking to Polygon, Zimmerman said, ‘Niantic is not offering to refund people’s travel expenses for coming to Chicago. Most of the people came from out of state, many people from other countries — I talked to someone who flew in from Japan’.
To be fair Niantic were (rightly) hugely embarrassed by this whole fiasco, and have made attempts to placate those who’d attended in good faith. Apparently, it seems this sentiment doesn’t extend far enough for some people, so they’re clubbing together to stick it to the man.
A spokesperson for Niantic issued the following statement: ‘Niantic does not comment on pending legal matters’.
