Pokemon Go players furious after network issues disrupt NYC Go Fest 2023

Pokemon Go fans were left frustrated after network issues surrounding Verizon disrupted the New York City Go Fest 2023 event.

Pokemon Go’s in-person Go Fest 2023 event in New York City is in full swing, with players roaming around Randall’s Island Park catching wild Pokemon and enjoying the festivities.

In particular, trainers participating in the NYC Go Fest 2023 event have the chance to catch the Mythical Pokemon Diancie after completing the NYC Adventure Special Research.

Unfortunately for some, there’s been a small hiccup for those players using the wireless network operator, Verizon, after trainers reported network issues during the event.

Pokemon Go trainers upset after NYC Go Fest 2023 network issues

UPDATE: Shortly after publishing, Niantic claimed to have resolved the issues that Verizon users experienced and offered a time extension of three hours for all trainers with Saturday gameplay access.

Trainers, we have resolved the Verizon outage affecting park gameplay for #PokemonGOFest2023 New York Saturday ticket holders. Affected Trainers’ City experience will be extended 3 hours until 10pm EST time. For additional details, see https://t.co/CNaHIJbf9v

— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) August 19, 2023

Interested players can read the official blog post for more details.

Original story as follows:

On Saturday, August 19, 2023, Pokemon Go players attending the NYC Go Fest 2023 event began reporting network issues while exploring Randall’s Island Park.

The Niantic Support Twitter account confirmed the network issues in a tweet that said: “Trainers, we are working to resolve network issues affecting Verizon players in the north area of the park at Pokemon Go Fest 2023 New York. Please stay tuned for additional updates, thanks for your patience.”

Trainers, we are working to resolve network issues affecting Verizon players in the north area of the park at #PokemonGOFest2023 New York. Please stay tuned for additional updates, thanks for your patience.

— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) August 19, 2023

It seems the majority of the network issues began in the northern area of Randall’s Island Park — though some trainers have reported experiencing network issues in a much broader area.

“This is CITY WIDE. Not just at Randall Pcan’t I can’t play at Central Park at all right now,” claimed one Go Fest 2023 attendee.

Other Verizon users verified the information, with one trainer claiming they began having network issues “during early sessions” which “got worse as the day went on.”

Naturally, the inability for some players to take part in this massive in-person event has left many frustrated, with some calling the network issues “inexcusable.”

Some trainers affected by the outage have started to wonder if Niantic will offer some sort of makeup event due to the issue. While it’s a bit too soon to tell, it’s clear the developer is at least trying to alleviate the problem as soon as possible.