The saga ofPokemon GOFest strangeness continues. Following major service problems and a ton of technical issues, the summer event was stamped as a total failure. Niantic, in attempts to remedy fans' disappointment, announced that all players who attendedPokemon GOFest would receive full ticket refunds,$100 in PokeCoins, and a free Lugia. Though attendees have been all smiles after finding a shiny new Pokemon sitting in their account, happiness quickly turned to confusion when users noticed that the Lugia has an odd IV-related glitch.
InPokemonlore, each Pokemon has what are known as individual value stats (also known as IVs) which determine a Pokemon’s strength in comparison to others of the same species. When gearing up for battle, players can reference attack IVs to see which Pokemon has a better chance of winning. WithinPokemon GO, users often check the IVs of each Pokemon they encounter and obtain through IV appraisal programs, most of which use Combat Power stats and the game’s built-in appraisal system.
As aforementioned, every Pokemon has IVs and all can be appraised – except for thelegendary bird Lugiathat was provided afterPokemon GoFest. A newly discovered glitch denies players the opportunity to appraise their new Lugia right off the bat. Reports state that third-party IV checkers have been unable to identify an IV combination for the Lugia when they’re first brought in by Niantic. Understandably, this can cause confusion and a bit of frustration in players who rely on IV appraisals to shape and enhance theirPokemon GOgameplay experience.
Thankfully, it’s not all bad news. There’s a quick solution for users who want to know Lugia’s IVs exclusively. Players simply need to power up theirLugia, a simple fix that appears to clear away the strange glitch and restore Lugia to a trackable CP stat.
It looks like what was intended to serve as an acknowledgement of error and an apology forPokemon GOFest ended up being yet another issue players had to deal with. Unfortunately, for many players, the irony of it all isn’t exactly surprising. Many ofPokemon GOglobal events and gatherings have been underwhelming at best and complete disasters at worse, with recent memory citing thePokemon Sun&Moonworldwide mission in which usersfailed to meet their targetof 1,000,000 Pokemon captured by almost half.
Though Niantic CEO John Hanke recently issued a statement explainingwhyPokemon GoFest had so many issues, and despite the Lugia glitch having an easy solution, these mistakes could very well seem to be tarnishing the reputation ofPokemon GOand the game’s future events moving forward.
Pokemon GOis currently available on iOS and Android devices.
