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It was all going so well. After a shaky launch amid the genuine fever of last summer, Pokémon Go was riding high with a successful string of updates; a new generation of creatures, an effective rework of gyms that encouraged players back out into the open, and a regular stream of activities to make more unusual creatures easier to find. With a generally smoother connection experience compared to launch, Pokémon Go has begun living up to its vast potential and fans, generally, had never been happier with developer Niantic.The game's inaugural anniversary event, Pokémon Go Fest, should have been a celebration of this rollercoaster first year, the final sign Niantic had set its house in order. Paying attendees (up to 20,000 were said to be allowed in Chicago's Grant Park) would work together with players around the world on unique challenges, find special creatures, and finally unlock perhaps the game's most requested feature to date, the ability to catch Legendary Pokémon - the perfect first birthday present for fans. Alas - it was not to be.
The day started well. The thunderstorms and rain originally forecast were nowhere to be seen. Warm blue skies highlighted the Chicago skyline as it towered over all that Niantic had put together. Arriving at the park enclosure that morning I was offered some neat surprises - a physical gym badge for fans to take away, the debut of an exciting event log-in mechanic involving spinning an in-game PokéStop checkpoint and scanning a QR code (okay, for Pokémon Go nerds like myself it was exciting) and the welcome sight of Pokémon I'd never caught before.
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