'Pokémon GO' Fest Attendees Filing Suit Against Developer Niantic
The fallout from the failed "Pokémon GO" Fest continues to haunt Niantic with each passing day. Now the developer could find itself in legal trouble as disgruntled fans demand compensation for their ordeal.
Nearly two dozen attendees from the event are now suing the developer for their failure to deliver on their promise. The plaintiffs demand reimbursement for their travel and other expenses following the event which was plagued by technical issues.
According to Chicago-based attorney Thomas Zimmerman, he was contacted by Jonathan Norton after the event. Norton, a California resident, said he traveled to the area for the event and waited in line just like the thousands who attended the event.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
However, when he got in, he found that the game wasn't working which left him unable to catch the rare Pokémon unveiled during the event. Zimmerman said that this went against what Niantic advertised and so far, "20 or 30" others have joined to file a class-action suit.
Niantic offered full refunds for attendees' tickets just hours after the failed "Pokémon GO" Fest. However, $100 in-game credits and the promised rare Pokémon are not enough, said Zimmerman. For people like Norton, who traveled from California and other faraway places, their expenses were much, much greater.
"We're not seeking any relief with respect to the failure to get legendary Pokémon because Niantic is offering that," Zimmerman told Polygon. "But Niantic is not offering to refund people's travel expenses for coming to Chicago."
The attorney added that most of these people came from out of state with many even coming from other countries. He said he personally talked to one attendee who came from Japan.
Niantic has declined to comment on the lawsuit but has already issued an apology for the failure of "Pokémon GO" Fest. The developer has also extended the time and locations where the rare Pokémon can be caught for those who were unable to do so at the event.
