The annual Pokémon Go Fest will be held virtually this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The gaming fest will now be held online from July 25 to July 26 this year, Michael Steranka, Director, Marketing & Global Live Events, Niantic announced in an official blog post.

“We’re bringing back Pokémon GO Fest on July 25–26 as an all-new, completely reimagined global event in a virtual format. The adventures of Pokémon GO Fest are coming direct to Trainers and neighbourhoods around the world so anyone can participate from home,” the post read.

The Pokémon Go Fest is an event that is held for gaming enthusiasts in select cities across the globe where attendees gather and play the AR-based game at locations such as public parks. The first Pokémon Go event was held in 2017 in Chicago. The fest was later expanded to other countries such as Japan and Germany.

“In 2019, our Pokémon GO Fest lineup was our biggest celebration ever. We held events in Chicago, Dortmund, and Yokohama, bringing together 600,000 Trainers for the special summer events,” the blog read.

Unlike previous years, attendees can participate in the event on both days of the festival. Previously, people could only attend the event for one day. Since the event is being taken global and online, the makers wish to sell out more tickets this year.

“Pokémon GO Fest is now a two-day experience, and Trainers can, for the first time, play on both days. Since the event is now global, we’re taking steps to make tickets available to as many Trainers as possible,” Steranka said.

Since the event will not be held traditionally, the organisers said that they have “new experiences, gameplay, and surprises throughout the event.”

Traditionally, Pokémon Go is an AR game that requires the players to physically go outside. The makers have added certain features to help players abide by the social distancing rules including virtual raids for a limited time, the Verge reported.

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