Pokemon Fest! A Trainer’s Nostalgia Realized
A few months earlier, everyone was going gagas over the Pokemon Go app, rekindling their love for the gaming franchise from their childhood into a whole new level! Of course, through the course of time, some people kinda got “bored”, so as they say, of the game. Within the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen and felt the decline of the Pokemon Go craze. People expressing their disappointment with system, the Pokemon available to be captured, etc. Little did we know that something BIG and GROUNDBREAKING was about to happen for the game, and it was to happen in Philippine shores!
Just this weekend, Globe Telecom, hosted the 1st Pokemon Festival ever held in the Philippines. So what’s the big deal with the event? First off, it announced a major news: THE OFFICIAL PARTNERSHIP OF GLOBE WITH NIANTIC LABS AND THE POKEMON COMPANY! The first major partnership done outside of the US and Japan! Would you believe that? And yes, that’s a Pikachu in an Igorot costume, a Philippine indigenous group.
Globe
The Pokemon Company
Niantic Labs
The Alliance finally formed
3 Major Groups, 1 Big Dream Realized! If you guys were there, you might have seen me cry man-tears. From my generation, this was the exact moment we’ve been waiting for, almost 2 decades to be exact. I can’t help but feel proud that I was standing there with these people as they were breaking the news!
I also had a talk with the boss himself, Dan Horan, Globe’s Consumer Division Head. Besides the 400 new Pokestops to be added in the Metro, they’ll still be adding more to the whole archipelago in the coming months! That’s just for Pokestops alone, imagine the Gyms that will pop up as well. The best thing about talking with Dan? He’s Down-to-Earth! Heck, he talked to us asking for a picture! Little did we know that he’s mainly the guy who contributed to this whole hooha! Bottomline: He’s one of the best BIG guys I met in awhile!
Groufie with Globe Consumer Division Head Dan Horan and his lovely wife
After having the awesome talk with Dan, he asked us, “The Pokemon Go developer is here? Have you had a chat with him yet?” We just had to shake our heads, pointing at a location that’s so busy with everyone. He told us to wait for awhile as he suddenly left. A few seconds after, he was pulling my arm and introduced me to John Hanke, the man who developed the Pokemon Go app! I was, STARSTRUCK!
With John Hanke, CEO of Niantic Labs and developer of Pokemon Go
John meeting my friend cosplaying as Spark, Team Instinct’s Leader
Chatting about gaming life and the Pokemon experience
The talk I had with John was really euphoric in a way, I get to say thanks with the guy who actually let us capture Pokemon in real time! Well, at least via mobile app. He’s nothing like a CEO, nothing of that corporate stuff. He’s just a guy with one of the biggest hearts that I’ve met, with only passion for Pokemon and a passion for bringing people happiness. Oh and another thing, just a bit of a clue: I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE COMING MONTHS! Haha! I’m sure you guys know what I mean by now, especially for those hardcore Pokemon Go trainers.
And last but not the least, THE PIKACHU ARMY! Yes, they were here courtesy of The Pokemon Company! This is a very special appearance by the gang. As some of you might know, The Pikachu Army is exclusive to Japanese festivals only, and only a very few countries have actually had the Pikachu appeared in. Thanks to the partnership, they made it here to honor us with their cute, dancing, and huggable bodies!
All in all, it was one of the best experiences a Pokemon fan living in the Philippines could ever have. Globe indeed delivered with their hashtag “Wonderful Surprise” and I would be watching out for more of those. See you guys soon and enjoy playing Pokemon Go!
P.S. There will be a grand hunt meet-up for Pokemon Go players in Luneta Park, Manila this coming November 6th. Just in case you want to join in as well. Cheerio!
