Niantic comments on Pokémon GO Fest 2022 backlash

While most Pokémon GO events are cause for celebration, trainers were left feeling quite enraged following Pokémon GO Fest 2022. While many are still angry that Niantic has moved back to pre-pandemic rollouts for certain content, it was another feature all together that riled trainers up this time around.

Trainers were quick to notice that shiny rates during Pokémon GO Fest 2022 weren’t anywhere near what was expected, with some players going the duration of the event without encountering a single shiny. Yes, shiny Pokémon are supposed to be rare, but not that rare, especially during an event like this!

DoteSports reached out to Niantic director Michael Steranka for comment on the matter, and he did offer a response. Unfortunately, it’s not one most trainers will be happy to hear.

“We understand that for some Trainers, the biggest way they judge the quality of a Pokémon Go event is on how many Shiny Pokémon they catch. We heard from Trainers who shared how lucky they were this year in terms of Shiny Pokémon caught, while others shared how their experience was the opposite. If Shiny Pokémon are too prevalent, it degrades the game in the long term.

Pokémon Go Fest events are about coming together for a weekend of fun catching, raiding, battling, and exploring. Ideally, the totality of the content of a given event makes you feel like the event is a good value—the Special Research, the bundle of in-game items such as raid passes and Incense, the Global Challenges, the spawns, the storyline and so on.”

[Niantic director Michael Steranka]

Niantic clearly knows people were upset with the shiny rate during Pokémon GO Fest 2022, but it seems everything went according to plan on their end. Steranka did mention that comments and feedback from this event would be taken into account the next time a major Pokémon GO event comes around. Let’s hope that’s the truth, and next time trainers have a bit more luck hunting down shiny Pokémon.