Following the Pokemon Go Kanto Tour running into several issues in February, Niantic has apologized to fans by offering them bonus Research tasks to make up for the incident. However, many players are not happy with the compensatory event, saying it “misses the mark.”
Pokemon Go celebrated the series’ 25th anniversary in February with a paid ticket event that replicated Game Freak’s 1996 RPGs, Red and Green. Despite many having spent $11.99, it was discovered that some players were able to access it for free.
After the day-long celebration ran into other issues as well, Niantic announced that they would make up the Kanto Tour at a later date. Fans were furious, however, when the company revealed they would be getting Timed Research tasks instead.
Some Pokemon Go players unhappy with Kanto Tour apology
On February 21, players who logged into Go with a Kanto ticket were able to participate in the 12-hour event which saw all 151 original Pokemon getting boosted spawn rates. However, reports began to pop up online of Trainers getting access completely free.
Weeks later, Niantic revealed just how the situation was going to be made up to the community when they unveiled Timed Research packed with items – including 100 candy for beloved Mythical, Mew.
The apology quickly sparked backlash as many players expected a second event just for ticket holders. Furious, fans took to social media to voice their anger about how the situation was being “made up” for those that paid nearly $12 for the Kanto celebration.
Trainers, due to a technical issue that occurred during #PokemonGOTour, paid ticket holders will be able to participate in a bonus event. Details here: https://t.co/9Nh8b1UwQX pic.twitter.com/qFFAPl8bxi
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) March 3, 2021
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“This misses the mark, so people who didn’t pay for their tickets still get the original event benefits, shinies, mew and everything else. People who paid for the “exclusive” ticket get research that gives you items to make up for your mistake, should give a day of kanto spawns,” one fan wrote. Another exclaimed, “We need to fight this as a community. We paid decent money for this and we get lame a** items for their mistake??” One player described the apology as “a box with 5 poor items” and sarcastically quipped: “thanks for listening to the community.”
Some fans were so upset that they to contacted their phone’s App Store to complain about the Pokemon developer. “Just finished talking to Google play to let them know what Niantic is doing. I didn’t pay 15 dollars for 7 dollars worth of items. I suggest everyone chat or call their respective playstore to complain,” one person tweeted.
While some players defended Niantic’s apology by arguing that users still got the event they paid for, the Kanto Tour had other complaints as well, from poor spawn rates to lack of Shiny encounters.
- Read More: Pokemon Go players fed up with paid research
Only time will tell if the community will get something more than the bonus rewards to make up for the situation. However, at the time of writing, many Trainers are not happy with the situation and are hoping for something else.