Niantic, the developer of Pokémon GO, has reset players' progress in the Marill Limited Research event after it was erroneously released early. The mobile alternate-reality installment in Nintendo's iconic franchise allows players to explore the real world in order to find, battle, and capture digital Pokémon. The game launched back in 2016 and continues to receive support in the form of events and updates.
2021 marks the five-year anniversary of Pokémon GO's launch, and Niantic has ensured that this year is full of content to celebrate. The month of May is particularly stacked, with players being given the opportunity to catch some rare and exciting Pokémon. Niantic recently announced that May's Community Day will focus on Swablu, a Normal and Flying-type Pokémon with clouds for wings and a distinct blue color. Niantic also recently announced a new Limited Research Event, starring the puffy blue Pokémon Marill, which will arrive in-game on May 9. The Limited Research Event will allow players to complete Timed Research and Field Research tasks which both lead to guaranteed encounters with Marill or its rare green Shiny variant.
Marill's Limited Research Event was mistakenly launched on May 7, ahead of its intended May 9 launch, and Niantic has announced on Twitter that players who began participating in the event are having their progress reset. The developer announced on the early hours of May 7 that the event was being displayed incorrectly, and then went on to explain that Limited Research will be reset for those that made progress or outright completed it. However, Pokémon caught by players during the event's brief slip should remain in their's collection rather than being reset. Fans on Twitter became very vocal in speaking out against having the event's progress reset.
2021 is a huge year for Pokémon GO, with the community celebrating both the five-year anniversary of the game's launch and the 25-year anniversary of the entire Pokémon franchise. Due to these two huge milestones, it is expected that Pokémon GO Fest 2021 will be a particularly massive celebration compared to previous years. While specific details about the event are unclear, including whether it will be a live or digital-only affair, fans are eagerly looking forward to the annual Pokémon GO festivities.
Pokémon GO has managed to maintain a large playerbase thanks to frequent events and updates. However, sometimes this rigorous schedule of in-game content can lead to some slip-ups. The early launch of the Marill Limited Research Event was quickly dealt with by Niantic, but resetting progress for those that participated is not an ideal solution to the issue.
Pokémon GO is available on iOS and Android.
Source: Niantic Support/Twitter