The last weekend of March, Play Pokemon hosted the first official esports event for Pokemon Go, which took place in Liverpool, England, alongside its video game and card game counterparts. For fans of Go Battle League, the mobile game’s PvP mode, this is the new pinnacle of competitive achievement.
Unofficial battle competitions have been a popular part of Pokemon Go since the GBL was introduced, but this is the first official tournament. Players battled alongside the TCG and VGC competitors, and although the Go competition was not livestreamed and bizarrely was never mentioned on official Pokemon socials, during the event was otherwise treated as equal to the two mainstays of competitive Pokemon. While the event was considered a success, it was not perfect, giving Niantic some things to work out before hosting the 2nd edition of this event.
“The organization lacked some important things in such an event,” said “AMindJoke,” who placed third in the competition. “But it was the first time for them to do an event about Pokemon Go so you can understand it. The really important thing was seeing their big interest in having our feedback to improve it! I can say for sure they really care and they’ve been really good in this aspect!”
While a few bugs and infrastructural issues plagued the event, AMindJoke remains incredibly positive about his experience. He’s planning on attending the next Regional Championship in Bremen, Germany, and hopes not to succumb to the pressure in the semi-finals next time around.
Pokemon Go has taken its first, rocky step into esports, but if its community of battlers is anything to go by, the future is bright.
(All information was provided by TheGamer)
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