The Pokémon franchise has gained fans of different generations through its video games, animated TV series, trading cards and interactive augmented reality (AR) game. Through the Pokémon Go mobile game, players have been able to interact more directly with other fans and their favorite Pokémon characters.
The Pokémon Go Tour brings trainers, the name used for players, together into one place to celebrity Pokémon fandom and to engage with Pokémon habitats and characters. The next edition will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17, and Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Rose Bowl Stadium.
The tour is hosted in different cities and highlights different versions of Pokémon. Last year, Pokémon Go Tour: Hoenn took place in Las Vegas.
More than 30,000 trainers are expected to attend the live event over the course of the weekend. Players come from different parts of the United States and from other countries.
During the event, the trainers will have a chance to capture, train and battle Pokémon from the Sinnoh region from “Pokémon Diamond” and “Pokémon Pearl.” Angela Ferguson-Martins, live events marketing manager at Niantic, said that fans often experience moments of nostalgia while attending a live event.
“We really hope that trainers just go in and have these moments of joy,” Ferguson-Martins said. “This is really a celebration of those Pokémon games that you played as a kid. … You relive these memories from your favorite games, and you maybe introduce Pokémon to your kids, your friends, your partner, just someone really close to you. It’s a really personal experience.”
Ferguson-Martins said live events are designed for people of different skill levels.
“Pokémon Go events are really the best way to interact with not only Pokémon but also other fans of Pokémon. I think even if you’re a very passive fan of the franchise, this is a great way to jump into the action of Pokémon. These events cater to our super hardcore trainers but also folks that are only familiar with Pikachu,” Ferguson-Martins said.
The Pokémon Go Tour attracts trainers of different generations (Niantic/Submitted)
The trainers complete special research, which takes them through different parts of the event footprint.
“We’ll break the space into what we call ‘habitats,’ which are Pokémon biomes. Throughout the research experience, you’ll go through the different biomes,” Ferguson-Martins said. “You’ll catch Pokémon. You might take snapshots of Pokémon. You’ll have different interactions with not only the Pokémon but the different trainers around you. It will guide you throughout a narrative storyline based on the game play we have to offer.”
The habitats will have different themes and Pokémon.
“We take all of the Pokémon we are going to be featuring, and we split them off into four different habitats,” Ferguson-Martins said. “We will have the Entangled Ruins, which are these decaying, temple-like structures. In that habitat, you might see grass-type Pokémon. You might see ghost-type Pokémon.
“We will also have something called the Bubbling Mire. It’s this swampy marshland that will have some poison-type Pokémon, some rock-type Pokémon. So, when trainers step into these areas in the real world, the digital map will change. They might see bubbles on the map. They will see these poison Pokémon appearing around them. It will really feel like they are stepping into this poisonous biome.”
Ferguson-Martins said that each live event has new offerings for trainers, especially those who travel to different cities to attend Pokémon Go events.
“Every time we do a live event, we try to create new and unique habitats based on the game play we are showcasing,” Ferguson-Martins said. “So, we will have four digital habitats that you can experience in-game, but we will actually be building out large-scale props for two of those habitats. These are brand-new habitats that we’ve never featured at any previous live event. If trainers joined us in New York City over the summer or for the Go Tour last year in Las Vegas, these are totally new habitats that they’ve never seen before, that are different from what they have already experienced.”
The game features more common Pokémon as well as more obscure ones that competitive players and hardcore trainers would know.
“Of course, if you are super casual, even Pikachu will be there. Pikachu is going to be wearing some special costumes based on the protagonist of the game,” Ferguson-Martins said.
During the Pokémon Go Tour, trainers can interact with their favorite Pokémon characters. (Niantic/Submitted)
Often, members of Pokémon communities or more structured groups will meet up at the event. Trainers are able to act as community ambassadors and bring together Pokémon fans.
“If you are a local, passionate player who wants to organize your community of trainers around you, you can do that,” Ferguson-Martins said. “We help give you the resources to make that community a success. We also have a group we like to call ‘notable trainers.’ Those might be famous YouTubers or other content creators across social media who will be traveling into the event, and they will host official meetups where their fans can come and take photos.”
Ferguson-Martins said there are different ways to meet other like-minded fans during the event.
“Some people who come by themselves and are doing this as a solo experience sometimes leave with a new friend or a new friend group. There are a lot of ways to meet others throughout the game,” Ferguson-Martins said. “If you take advantage of our raid feature, that has you go in with other trainers who are around you to defeat powerful Pokémon. At the end, you can become friends with trainers that you did battle with. So, there’s lots of ways to get together with trainers, even if you came by yourself. If you did come with a group, it’s a great time to make some fun Pokémon-related memories.”
The event won’t just be focused in the Rose Bowl Stadium. It will offer a citywide gameplay experience in which trainers can chart a course to show off their favorite sites.
“Trainers do have the option to purchase an add-on, which will give them an extra day of game play throughout Los Angeles County and Orange County,” Ferguson-Martins said. “Within that game play, we are embedding a local component where trainers can go around, visit different places within the counties, and do research tasks when they get to those points of interest. We’re really trying to encourage them, especially if they’re from out of town, to explore Los Angeles or Pasadena and get to better know the area.
“If you’re a local, maybe go check out a new part of the city. … You can show off places that you want other trainers to interact with. When a user submits a location, other users can see it on the map. A really fun newer feature to the game is called ‘routes.’ Through routes, we connect with a longer trail.”
Ferguson-Martins said the tours are designed so that trainers can be involved in shaping the experience for themselves and others.
“We want you to feel like this is your Pokémon adventure. You’re stepping back into ‘Pokémon Diamond’ and ‘Pokémon Pearl,’ and you’re setting off on this exciting adventure that you play the way you want to play,” Ferguson-Martins said.
Maria Malik is your guide to the immersive world of Virtual Reality (VR). With a passion for VR technology, she explores the latest VR headsets, applications, and experiences, providing readers with in-depth reviews, industry insights, and a glimpse into the future of virtual experiences.
