‘Pokémon Go’ Dev Niantic Accepting City Submissions for Live Events

Stefanie Fogel

Fans of games like “Pokémon Go” and “Ingress Prime” can now nominate their favorite cities to potentially host a live event in 2020, developer Niantic announced on Thursday.

Submissions are now open on Niantic’s website. Anyone can submit an official city nomination between now and Oct. 1, including players, parks departments, tourism boards, and local representatives.

Related stories

Inside the Music of Netflix's 'Ingress: The Animation' (EXCLUSIVE)

Niantic Launches 'Pokemon Go' Photo Contest

So, what is Niantic looking for in a host city? A big, beautiful park with 50-100+ acres that’s centrally located and allows festivals, for starters. The park must have good cell phone reception and/or wireless connectivity. Proximity to hotels, public transportation, and parking are all pluses as well. Of course, weather is also a consideration.

Even if people don’t want to submit a formal nomination, they can voice their opinions via the #NianticLive2020 hashtag on Twitter.

While Niantic’s inaugural Pokémon Go Fest was plagued with connectivity issues and ended in at least one class action lawsuit, its second attempt in July 2018 fared much better. Based in Chicago, it drew an estimated 21,000 people to Lincoln Park, with another 180,000 players participating in the surrounding Chicago area.

“Ingress Prime,” meanwhile, has hosted numerous so-called Mission Days in locations across the U.S. and the rest of the globe like Amsterdam, Peru, and Japan.

Last year, fans of both games walked about 17,000 kilometers during live social impact events, Niantic said. About 142 were held worldwide, with about 40,000 people coming out to support charities and their local communities. They visited about 331 national parks, rivers, and trails and picked up an estimated seven tons of garbage. They also collected and donated 6.8 tons of food and gave about 3,900 items to homeless shelters.

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.