Pokémon GO developer Niantic recently implored its players to stay away from a public park in Las Vegas unless they purchased a $30 in-game content pass.
Sunset Park was the location of the Pokémon GO Tour: Hoenn event which took place from February 18 to 19 and, for those who paid $25 before the New Year or $30 after it, let players engage in all sorts of extra in-game activities focused on Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire.
Players descended on the park in the hope of raiding, catching, trading, and battling pocket monsters, but 17,000 regular players showing up allegedly disrupted the local network and rendered the game unusable for those who had paid.
Players (and the public) did not have to pay to enter the park, but just to access the extra content available in Pokémon GO itself.
As reported by Eurogamer, the first day of the in-person event ended in frustration, with many players complaining that network issues were causing them to disconnect from raids, or entirely preventing them from logging into to the game.
Niantic later acknowledged the issue in a tweet from the official Pokémon GO account, stating that “an additional 17,000 trainers without tickets joined us at the park, causing spotty connectivity throughout the day”.
In a subsequent tweet, the developer asked non-ticketed trainers to stay away from the public park altogether, in order “to ensure a smooth event for Sunday ticket holders”.
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.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) February 19, 2023
The company also sought to placate disgruntled paying customers by extending the duration of select events taking place across the city, and offering a free bundle for affected players containing three premium and remote raid passes.
However, connection issues reportedly persisted throughout the weekend, despite the calls for non-ticketed players to stay away.
Despite Niantic claiming it was the fault of the additional players, it’s not the first time this has happened with Pokémon GO. The original Pokémon GO Fest in 2017 infamously ended in frustration for many players who, similar to the latest in Las Vegas, struggled to connect to the game, and connectivity issues have plagued other events too.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer