Pokemon GO continues going strong, offering its playerbase plenty of events and gameplay adjustments to keep the mobile title interesting five years in. The upcoming Pokemon Air Adventures event, however, is being delayed.
Pokemon Air Adventures is designed to offer Pokemon GO players in-game perks for players who go traveling. Initially, Pokemon Air Adventures plans to focus on Okinawa, an area in Japan, with a reward of a special Okinawan kariyushi shirt Pikachu that can be discovered and caught. However, fans who were looking forward to adding one of these Pikachu to their collection in the near future will need to wait a while longer.
As announced by official Pokemon GO social media channels, the upcoming Pokemon Air Adventures event has been delayed. Niantic hasn't offered a reason for the delay, simply stating that 'recent developments' have caused the postponement. However, fans were quick to point out that the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases may very well be the cause. Encouraging travel at a time when the pandemic may be making a comeback would be unwise for Niantic and The Pokemon Company, so it may be delaying the event until things appear to be safer for potential travelers.
In addition to delaying the release of the special Pikachu, this likely means that Shiny Corsola won't be available when initially planned, either. While a simple shiny variant of a Pokemon doesn't necessarily have to be tied to a specific region, it was announced as being a part of the Pokemon Air Adventures collaboration. Of course, Niantic could always release the shiny Pokemon anyway to help make up for any disappointment fans may be feeling right now.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the world, video games included, Pokemon GO has managed to adapt and continue to perform well. In-person events like these can end up being impacted, but the overall gameplay experience was ultimately modified in order to let players keep enjoying the game even when cooped up at home under quarantine.
It remains to be seen if recent developments will have an impact on the upcoming Pokemon GO Fest slated to launch on Saturday. Niantic is planning to hold in-person events this year, with social distancing protocols implemented, but last minute changes are always a possibility. In any case, though, players can participate in the event from anywhere in the world, so even if local gatherings are amended or canceled, the game will still have plenty to do on the weekend.
Pokemon GO is available now for mobile devices.