Pokémon Go Crisis: Developer Probes Golden PokéStop Bug Disrupting 9th Anniversary Event!

The creators of Pokémon Go have finally recognized a critical bug that has been affecting the gameplay during the major 9th anniversary celebration, which was reported by users several days ago.

The festivities for the game’s ninth anniversary are centered around Gimmighoul, a small Pokémon fond of coins, which players usually encounter by linking their Pokémon Go account to a Nintendo Switch running Pokémon Scarlet or Violet.

In honor of the mobile game’s latest milestone, a new costumed version of Gimmighoul is being introduced along with its Shiny variant available for the first time. However, there seems to be a glitch with the feature that allows players to collect essential resources for evolving this Pokémon.

Gimmighoul requires players to gather 999 Gimmighoul coins to evolve into Gholdengo, satisfying the Pokémon’s voracious need for treasure. It’s a daunting task that has taken many players years to achieve, making this event highly anticipated for its potential to simplify the coin collection.

There are two primary ways to obtain Gimmighoul coins in Pokémon Go: catching Gimmighoul itself using the Coin Bag feature, which necessitates frequent connections between your phone and your Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, or by interacting with Golden PokéStops.

Typically, Golden PokéStops are activated by a Golden Lure, which also requires multiple connections to a Switch. However, during the current event, any PokéStop has the chance to temporarily transform into a Golden PokéStop, supposedly making it easier than ever to collect Gimmighoul coins—except for a frustrating bug that’s upsetting many players.

Picture this: spotting a Golden PokéStop in the distance, making your way towards it, only to see it revert to a regular PokéStop just as you arrive. Then, seeing another one far away, you head over only for the same thing to happen again, repeatedly.

This has been the annoying reality for many Pokémon Go enthusiasts lately, who find themselves chasing after Golden PokéStops that seem to vanish as soon as they approach.

“One player lamented on TheSilphRoad, a popular Pokémon Go subreddit, “Wasted my whole lunch break thinking it was just me.”

“It’s too hot to walk to the stop and it just disappear,” another player complained, possibly caught in the UK’s ongoing heatwave.

“This happened to me 6 times today. I gave up for the day,” a third expressed their frustration.

It turns out this is indeed a bug, now confirmed by the game’s development team, but it’s actually just a visual glitch. In fact, the Golden PokéStop hasn’t disappeared; it just becomes invisible. So, the PokéStops you walked away from were actually still active sites for collecting Gimmighoul coins.

“Golden PokéStops turn blue before spinning,” the Pokémon Go Help Center website describes the problem. “Issue description: When approaching a Golden PokéStop it may turn blue before spinning it. This is a visual bug and does not affect your ability to collect Gimmighoul Coins. Issue status: Investigating.”

There are also other issues with the event, such as a perceived lower chance of obtaining Gimmighoul coins from Golden PokéStops than in the past, and a delay in activating the Shiny version of the non-costumed Gimmighoul until the middle of yesterday afternoon. These errors, still requiring detection and reporting by the community, seem typical for the course.

The 9th anniversary event of Pokémon Go will continue until this Sunday, July 6, offering fans more opportunities to collect Gimmighoul coins. Meanwhile, affected players are hoping the game will implement measures to better facilitate their treasure hunting efforts.