Some Fans Will Attend Pokémon World Championship 2023 With Nothing To Do
The Play! Pokémon has handled the Pokémon World Championships 2023 has left the Pokémon community beyond frustrated.
After a few years of no Worlds, the massive event has returned. This year, Worlds will be held in August in Japan. Worlds is meant to be where all of the top players in the world come together to compete for the title across multiple titles — mainly TCG and VGC.
But Worlds is also where Pokémon fans come together to celebrate, spectate, and participate in side events. Until this year, apparently.
Pokémon Community Frustrated with Worlds 2023
Earlier this summer, Play! Pokémon announced that there would be a lottery for spectator badges. This meant that there will be limited space at Worlds this year, so not every Pokémon player who didn’t qualify for the main tournament could attend.
The concept of a lottery for a spectator badge already had Pokémon fans angry. Many Pokémon competitors and casual fans ended up not getting to attend Worlds after missing out on a badge. But now it looks like Pokémon trainers lucky enough to get a badge may still not enjoy the event.
Starting earlier this week, a lot of people attending Worlds shared screenshots of yet another lottery. This time, Play! Pokémon had all of the attending trainers enter a raffle for every activity at Worlds, including the exclusive Pokémon Center World Store, multiple live shows, and the Pokémon Matsuri Park.
Many Pokémon fans ended up getting the message that they were “unsuccessful “in winning the raffle for these events. As a result, a lot of people attending Worlds will technically not be able to do any of the activities while there.
This has become a massive controversy in the competitive Pokémon community. Many fans have already purchased plane tickets and hotel stays for Worlds after winning the first lottery. Now, they have found out they may not be able to do much of anything while attending an event across the world.
Said one trainer on Facebook: “I didn't really expect to get all of them, but I had hoped that they would at least make sure each person got something....”
Another replied: “You’d think so with multiple time slots to maximize visitors.”
As the complaints continued, one “Pokedad” accused the lotteries of being “lazy.” He said that the lotteries are not fair since some people who got into Worlds “haven’t done a single thing all year” while some people who didn’t get a badge to Worlds were dedicated to events throughout the year.
“Players that actually play and participate should have an advantage,” he said. “The Pokémon Company needs to truly reevaluate everything from the top to the bottom.”
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!