After 'Pokémon Go' Fest disaster, Niantic delays events in Europe

Pokémon Go developer Niantic is taking its mistakes to heart and delaying a handful of upcoming events so they don't turn out like the first-ever Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago.

Previously announced Pokémon Go Safari Zone events in Denmark, Czech Republic, Sweden, and The Netherlands that were scheduled for August are postponed until "a date later in the fall," Niantic said in a blog post this weekend. The August event in Japan and the September events in France, Spain, and Germany are still going to take place as scheduled.

Although Pokémon Go Fest wasn't specifically mentioned in the blog post, it's clear that the problems associated with it inspired the delay for August's events. Attendees experienced long lines and many had difficulties connecting to the game's online servers, essentially ruining the whole point of the event.

Some issues were taken care of by the end of the day but Niantic had to offer refunds and in-game credits to disappointed players in order to make up for the issues. Niantic surely doesn't want that to happen again, and delaying its upcoming events will help to make sure these problems don't repeat themselves.

"We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you understand that our priority is to ensure a great experience for Pokémon Go trainers in Europe and around the world," Niantic said.

Niantic also teased European players with a little bonus: higher chances to run into rarer Pokémon.

"As a special surprise, we understand that some Pokémon that are rarely seen in Europe will be appearing soon in certain European cities for a brief time," Niantic said. "Keep your eyes peeled!"

At least Niantic has acknowledged some of its shortcomings and is actively trying to make sure they don't happen again.

In the words of Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Begins: "Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up."