TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Nearly 100,000 Pokémon trainers reportedly flocked to New Taipei City on Thursday (Oct. 3) for the start of the four-day Pokémon GO Safari Zone event, crashing the game's server by the afternoon.

On Thursday, nearly 100,000 Pokémon trainers descended on New Taipei Metropolitan Park in Sanchong District to start their hunt for rare Pokémon such as Heracross and Unown R. Trainers were greeted at the park by huge balloons in the likeness of Pikachu and Snorlax as well as cutouts of Team Instinct, Team Valor, and Team Mystic.

The park will be open to Pokémon trainers each day of the event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to New Taipei Metropolitan Park, the event includes 60 other scenic spots, where the city claims participants have the opportunity to capture Scyther, Combee, Oddish, and Poliwag among many other pocket monsters.



Stage performance. (Photo from Pokémon GO Twitter account)

However, some trainers have complained that rare Pokémon could only be spotted at the main venue, while the event's 60 other locales had only common AR critters. Starting at 2 p.m., the game's server crashed several times and all the Pokémon disappeared, leaving trainers paralyzed and forced to take a break from the action under the trees, reported the China Times.

Trainers who came far and wide from countries such as Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines were disappointed by the server crash. Some players expressed their concern that future crashes could be possible, as organizers estimate the event could attract up to 1.5 million visitors, with the number of participating trainers on Saturday and Sunday possibly exceeding 200,000, reported the Liberty Times.

The Pokémon Company said that the large influx of fans at the venue led to an overload of the system. The company has announced that the problem has been resolved and apologizes for any inconvenience experienced by the trainers.



(Photo from Facebook page @ntctour)

New Taipei's Pokémon GO Safari Zone event is the only one of its kind being held this year in Taiwan. According to the New Taipei Tourism and Travel Department, Pokémon characters Pikachu, Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble will appear onstage and meet with fans at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and a parade will be held at 2 p.m. on all four days of the festival.

For more information about the event, visit the New Taipei City Government's official Pokémon GO Safari Zone website.



(New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department photo)



(Photo from Pokémon GO Twitter account)