Pokemon Go players blast “awful” Niantic over Pikachu Spotlight hour mixup
The Pokemon CompanyNiantic has formally apologized on social media for several mixups involving Sandshrew & Alolan Sandshrew’s Spotlight hour, resulting in distributing the wrong Pokemon and rewards.
Pikachu is the face of the Pokemon franchise, resulting in it becoming over-exposed in the eyes of the fans, especially as it has fronted several games, including Pokemon Yellow and Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu.
Luckily, Pokemon Go can give other Pokemon a chance in the limelight via the regular Spotlight hour events. Like the name suggests, Spotlight hours cause a specific Pokemon to spawn en-masse for an hour (usually 6-7 PM local time), along with lots of Candy.
The current Spotlight hour for February 27 is Sandshrew and Alolan Sandshrew, which is rolling out in different regions across the globe. Unfortunately, it seems that Pikachu cannot be out of the spotlight for too long, as it decided to invade the event of its fellow Gen 1 Pokemon.
Niantic apologised for Sandshrew’s Spotlight hour
Pokemon Go players in regions where the Sandshrew Spotlight hour started have reported that Pikachu is appearing in the game instead. Niantic has released a statement on the Niantic Support Twitter/X account, assuring fans the issue has been resolved.
Niantic has also apologized for incorrect information about the Spotlight hour, which stated that the reward was Rare Candy XL when it’s actually just Candy XL. Unsurprisingly, players weren’t amused by the errors.
“I honestly don’t know any other game that has such a high rate of “We advertised this event with X feature, this was in error, sorry teehee!” one user wrote, while another said, “YOU TOOK ONE WHOLE MONTH TO CLARIFY THIS? CMON NIANTIC.”
“You all had a full month to correct that mistake after people asked about it at the start of the month but waited until the event started to speak up about it?” another user complained, while another pointed out, “This is the company that you guys dump money into, btw.”
“How many times you messed something up?” another user summarized, “Was there any kind of event that was flawless – don’t think so! And to be the cherry on top are your lousy skills of communication. Without the Pokémon license this game would be buried six feet under for sure!”
Luckily, the issue with the Sandshrew Spotlight hour was quickly corrected, but the incorrect information about rewards is more of an issue. Game glitches are to be expected, especially in a live service experience, but fans have every right to be annoyed about reward info being wrong ahead of an event.
