Annual Pokemon Go festival goes digital-only during pandemic

The massive hype surrounding Pokemon Go rapidly subsided the months after its 2016 launch, but there is still a large core of active players. – Britta Pedersen/dpa

Every year since the hit game Pokemon Go sent hundreds of thousands of players around the world onto streets in search of rare creatures they could only see on their smartphones, die-hard fans have continued to meet up at the game's annual Go Fest.

But in the midst of a pandemic, organisers have decided against hosting an event that brings together tens of thousands of people to fixed places in cities, choosing instead to hold a digital-only version to prevent a spike in coronavirus infections.