Niantic is still picking up the pieces following the disastrous events last weekend that saw Pokemon GO Fest devolve into a mess of immeasurable proportions, but it appears as if the developer isn’t out of the woods yet. In fact, it may have dug itself into an even deeper hole today, as US telecommunications giant Verizon Wireless has waded in to defend claims it didn’t provide enough infrastructure support during the event.
Both during and immediately following the incident, Niantic apologized for the frequent connection and crashing issues that affected those in attendance at the event in Chicago’s Grant Park, offering total refunds on tickets, as well as various in-game compensation, including a free legendary Pokemon.
Despite its commendable effort at damage control and admitting fault, a video (above) later uploaded to the Niantic-sponsored YouTube channel Trainer Trips suggested that mobile networks not providing enough bandwidth or network capacity for the event may have contributed to issues plaguing Trainers over the two-day period.
Verizon, however, has vehemently denied such claims, a spokesperson for the company having told Business Insider UK (via ComicBook) that “This was not a Verizon issue,” adding that other sites, such as YouTube, were accessible in the park, a result indicative of an “issue with the game’s server itself,” rather than that of Verizon’s, they continued.
While not on the same scale as the issues that affected Pokemon GO Fest, the popular mobile title has, on numerous occasions in the past, struggled with server stability and connection problems, an ongoing red flag that, Niantic’s CEO John Hanke admitted previously, has caused the delay of other features, including trading.
Ultimately, until we hear more from Niantic, a full picture of what happened can’t be pieced together. However, if you were one of those hit hardest by the outages, the “global rewards” unlocked at the event will now be in effect until this coming Thursday.
