Has it really been a year since Pokémon Go fever caught the world? The game that had hordes of people blindly wandering the streets as they stared and prodded at their phones is about to celebrate its first birthday, and plans to do so in style, with a number of in-game and live events.
Having been downloaded a staggering 750 million times in its first year, Niantic and The Pokémon Company are to host Pokémon Go Fest, the first live event for the game. It’s to be held in Chicago Grant Park on 22nd July, with tickets going on sale on 19th June. If you don’t happen to be planning a trip to Chicago for then, a “Pikachu Outbreak” event is happening in Yokohama, Japan in August – hopefully these Pikachu don’t have Deflating Pikachu Syndrome – and Unibail-Rodamco shopping centres across Europe will be hosting events as well.
“It’s been an incredible first year for Pokémon GO thanks to the passion and dedication from the global Trainer community,” said John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, Inc. “As part of the first anniversary, we’ll be giving players around the world the chance to enjoy fun in-game events, engage with friends and other Trainers at real-world events, and much more.”
For those who’d rather just keep playing the game, the Solstice Event will be the first of several to run over the next few months, increasing encounters with Fire-type and Ice-type Pokémon between 13th-20th June. Expect to find the likes of Charmander, Cyndaquil, Houndour, Swinub, Sneasel, and their evolutions much more regularly.
Additionally, there’ll be an XP boost for curveballs, nice throws, great throws, excellent throws and plenty more. Lucky Eggs will be 50% off in the in-game shop as well.
Source: press release
