Pokemon GO Fest players getting refunds after “dreadful” event

Zackerie Fairfax
pokemon go fest ticket

Pokemon Go Fest 2022 was a disappointment for a large number of players – so much so, that they’ve requested and received refunds for their tickets.

June 4 and 5 were supposed to be the biggest days of the year for Pokemon Go. The annual GO Fest boasted two days of boosted shiny odds, special spawns, and the Mythical Shaymin as a reward… all for the price of $14.99.

However, Go Fest 2022 has been deemed the worst Pokemon Go event by players, and some even go as far as to call it a scam. Most of these comments were made after players failed to encounter a plethora of shiny Pokemon.

The event is over and numerous ticket holders walked away empty-handed. This has led to players requesting and receiving refunds for their Go Fest 2022 tickets.

Pokemon Go Fest 2022 Day 1 ticketed features
A ticket to Pokemon Go Fest cost $14.99 and promised increased shiny spawns during the event.

Go Fest players receive refunds

User geno_stars took to the Pokemon Go subreddit to share the news. They were able to request a refund for the ticket on their iOS device by submitting it as “Purchase is not what I expected.”

Geno posted screenshots showing the refund had been processed and approved. When asked what Niantic had done, they stated that their PokeCoin balance had not been reduced and their research rewards weren’t removed, only the Go Fest ticket was removed from their inventory.

Other users took to the comments to claim they did the same. They called the event “dreadful” and referenced the “frustrating” incense bug that plagued players during Go Fest.

One user questioned the morality of refunding the tickets, but Geno rebutted: “My rationalization lies on the fact that the ticketed benefits, as stated by Niantic themselves, did not function correctly. It is Niantic’s responsibility for the game to correctly deliver the benefits their customers spend actual money on.”

Some users pointed out it is against Niantic’s Terms of Service to refund the ticket. “I definitely do not recommend this unless you have come to terms with potentially being suspended or banned for this,” one comment read.

That being said, no one commenting on Geno’s post claims they had faced any backlash for refunding. There were only a few comments from people claiming others had been banned for similar instances.

About The Author

Zackerie is a former Senior Writer for Dexerto who covered a wide variety of games and entertainment. He has a degree in Creative Writing and was previously the editor of The LaRue County News. Zackerie switched to games media in 2020 writing for outlets such as Screen Rant, Fortnite INTEL, and Charlie INTEL.