Pokemon GO Global Catch Event Needs 3 Billion Catches In A Week

Pokemon GO has been credited, half in jest, to have gotten usually sedentary people walking again. And bumping into structures or getting into accidents. Some players, however, have taken the game to heart, sometimes traveling miles or even to other countries to catch 'em all. Capitalizing on that, Niantic Labs has is making "Pokemon GO Travel" a formal thing. And it is kicking things off with a nearly impossible Global Catch Challenge that will last until November 26.

The goal of the Global Catch Challenge is quite simple: entice players to go out again and catching as many Pokemon as they can. The requirements and rewards, however, are a bit less direct. For one, catching 3 billion Pokemon in seven days is almost a statistical impossibility, given how probably few Pokemon GO players remain.

The rewards are also applied to all players equally, even those not participating in the challenge. So it's going to take a bit of a charitable spirit to undertake the quest. There are three tiers of prizes. For 500 million catches, everyone gets a double XP rate, 6 hours of lure, and more Pokemon appearing globally. Reaching 1.5 billion gets a Silver, which adds twice the Stardust to the package. Finally, Gold requires 3 billion catches in order to unlock the rarer than legendary Farfetch'd globally. At least for the next 48 hours. Those in East Asia have an additional treat of Kangaskhan appearances.

Most Pokemon GO players will probably just stay at home and watch the fireworks, if there ever will be. Or at least watch the events unfold in Pokemon GO Travel. As the name suggests, it is a new marketing campaign that has select trainers from all over the world gather in a single place to, well, catch more Pokemon.

The first ever Pokemon GO Travel and Global Catch Challenge kicks off in Japan. On the 26th, it will ended with a Safari Zone event in Tottori, Japan. So better brush off those walking shoes and collect 'em Pokeballs if you want to see a celery-wielding duck over the weekend.

SOURCE: Niantic Labs