Harsh headlines, failed festivals and, finally, friends: Pokémon Go, two years on

John Hanke, the boss of developer Niantic, is as passionate as ever about getting players outside. And his strategy is working, as seen in the success of this year’s Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago
Going to the gym meant something quite different in Chicago’s Lincoln Park one weekend in July. The Pokémon Go Fest, returning to the city after a disastrous event in 2017 that ended with developer Niantic refunding tickets, handing out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of in