When a 50-foot-tall egg appears in the middle of your city, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re going to discover a spectacle – and that’s exactly what was waiting for Pokémon GO fans last weekend at Pokémon GO Fest in Chicago!
Chicago was the birthplace of Pokémon GO Fest four years ago this week. To celebrate, we wanted to do something extra special for Trainers in the Windy City. And so, we hatched a plan for a special egg in Maggie Daley Park where we hosted the most epic and immersive Raid battles ever brought to life.
The egg was noticeable enough to attract the attention of local news media: measuring 50 percent higher than the famous mirrored Cloud Gate (Bean) in Millennium Park next door, and proved to be a fun spectacle, even by the high standards of Chicago’s world-class architecture and outdoor art installations.
On day one of Pokémon GO Fest, Trainers had the opportunity to pick between Rock or Pop Star Pikachu and complete the Melody Pokémon Special Research to access a newly released Mythical Pokémon, Meloetta. Hourly habitat rotations provided access to jungles, desert mountains, ocean beaches, and caves so Trainers could catch lots of different Pokémon and participate in Pokémon GO Fest 2021 Collection Challenges.
At the end of day one, Trainers were welcomed to the egg at Maggie Daley Park to take part in Legendary Night. With the sun setting on the horizon, the egg became an in-game gym as Trainers unwound after a long day of exploring, catching, battling and trading. As Trainers battled for the gym, the giant egg changed colors based on which team had control over the gym: Yellow for Team Instinct, Blue for Team Mystic, or Red for Team Valor (the best team; I’m not biased or anything!).
As evening approached, three-dimensional projections on the eggshell’s surface brought fan-favorite Pokémon to life at a grand scale, as well as introduced both new and rare characters to Trainers in attendance. At the same time, the legendary Pokémon were available for Trainers to Raid in-game at that exact location. Trainers invited remote raiders from all over the world to participate, just in time for day two of Pokémon GO Fest weekend which had already begun for Trainers in the Asia-Pacific region.
Day two of Pokémon GO Fest offered a special chance for attendees to raid and catch some of the rarest and most unique Pokémon. This day celebrating raids was all about making every Legendary available to attendees. Trainers joined together to catch them all, and even made new friends as they battled together.
Everyone at Niantic has been excited to carefully reconnect our Trainers to both the great outdoors and one another after the last year, so getting together in a large, open space for such an amazing event was particularly meaningful for us – and hopefully for everyone who attended, too. When we released Pokémon GO five years ago, our goal was to bring Pokémon and people together in the real world. This event was a prime example of what we love to do: having fun while also keeping our players safe. Being able to see so many of our fans, friends, and families back at our city activations during Pokémon GO Fest weekend was truly wonderful.
Legendary Night was a unique opportunity for us to not only celebrate in the city where the first Pokémon GO Fest was held, but also push the boundaries for what Niantic and Pokémon GO can achieve with augmented reality activations. We’re all looking forward to a future filled with more real life experiences like this one. Thank you all for making this Legendary Night unforgettable.
–Veronica Saron