‘Pokémon Go’ Paid Event Lets In Un-Ticketed Players, Again

Developer Niantic issued an apology in February after an in-game Pokémon Go event they hosted allowed both players who paid for entry and those who didn’t to collect in-game bonuses. As a consolation, Niantic promised a new make-up event for paid players only. That event which started today, once again, let in players who did not pay for entry.

Pokémon Go’s Kanto Tour event cost players $12 to access special limited time goodies. When the event first opened in February, a vast majority of unpaid players still receieved the paid items. As an apology, Niantic hosted a mirror event again starting today. Multiple players in Australia and New Zealand, the first players to access the event via timezone, reported receiving the Kanto Tour bonuses without paying for the pass, again.

This time around, Niantic acted fast and closed the event to paid players only within a few hours. The company then released an apology, again.

“Due to a technical issue that occurred during Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto, some Trainers were able to access the ticketed portion of the event without purchasing a ticket,” the company said in a statement. “We apologize for this issue, and to help Trainers who purchased a ticket feel like they are receiving its value, paid ticket holders will be able to participate in a bonus event.”

It’s unclear how many players slipped through the pay wall before Niantic took notice.