- [1] taken from Twitter(X) user @BintuRita
Pokémon fans in the Philippines recently gathered for a highly controversial Pokeverse convention, but the event quickly drew comparisons to infamous disasters like Dashcon, Fyre Festival, and the recent Willy Wonka Experience.
Pokémon Fan Convention 'Pokeverse' Was a Horrifyingly Bizzare Money-Grab
Related Video
How to Get Away with Conning
Promoted as the premier Pokémon-themed expo in the Philippines, "Pokeverse" promised fans a wealth of attractions, including officially licensed collectibles, cosplay contests, Pokémon tournaments, live music, and meetups with iconic stars from Pokémon. Such stars advertised were the original Ash Ketchum voice actress, Veronica Taylor, and the original Pokémon anime theme singer, Jason Paige. However, the reality fell significantly short of expectations.
The convention, held from May 31 to June 2 at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, Philippines, was organized by NFT company Kaloscope, businesswoman and "international Feng Shui expert" Marites Allen, and Frigga, a charms shop. Notably, and vehemently pointed out by fans, the event was not affiliated with Nintendo, Game Freak, nor The Pokémon Company–even so far as calling the event a mere "cryptobait."
- [3] taken from the official Pokeverse Website
This discrepancy, coupled with ridiculously high ticket prices that, when converted from PH Peso to USD, ranged from 17~ USD for a one-day pass to 330~ USD for a VIP three-day pass, had already raised suspicions among the Pokémon community prior to the event. These costs, as explained by the organizers, were necessary to cover venue rental, international headliner fees, flights, hotels, transport, setup, and logistics. However, these claims were disputed by the con-goers.
Pokeverse Lowlights: A Lot of Things Went Wrong
Cartoonist @BintuRita, an enthusiastic attendee who won free tickets from a raffle to sing with Jason Paige, described the convention as extremely downsized and disorganized from what was promised, sharing her experience in a viral Twitter (X) thread. She reported numerous issues, including overall poor organization and logistics, confusing ticket booth placements, late start times, an attendee who was labeled ‘The Ravioli Man’ who seemed intent to cause any disturbance they can manage, and large, empty areas with few Pokémon-themed activities.
Despite the presence of the guest of honors, Veronica Taylor and Jason Paige, she and many other fan attendees felt the event was misrepresented, poorly executed, and lacked sufficient organization and security. Curiously, Kaloscope, the NFT company that co-sponsored the event, brand themselves specializing in Augmented Reality or Mixed Reality (AR/MR) experiences, but the event is noticeably absent with any of such technologies.
Discrepancies between promotional material and the actual event were glaring. Pokémon-themed activities turned out to be advertisements for unrelated services, and artists participating in the artist alley faced inconsistent communication, extortionate high fees, and smaller-than-promised table spaces. Basically, lots of hair-raising red flags. One advertised activity, a "Pokémon Themed Baking Session (DIY Event)," turned out to merely be a promotion for a cake and drink printing service. The supposed live-sketching classes weren’t classes, but instead artists taking sketch commissions.
Attendees also reported issues with the event's structure, organization, and management. One notable instance included a space filled with inflatable activities unrelated to Pokémon. @BintuRita also highlighted the highly intrusive behavior of the event’s camera crew that constantly filmed attendees, including changing cosplayers and unattended children in the designated ‘Rest Area’ that should have been a no-photography zone.
- [4, 5,6] tweets taken from Veronica Taylor's official Twitter(X) account
A major draw of the convention was the appearance of Taylor and Paige, who were expected to participate in panels and meet-and-greets. However, Taylor revealed she was not compensated for her time, though she graciously expressed that she had a blast at the event. It is unknown whether Jason Paige was also not compensated for his appearance, but he also seems to have enjoyed the event, as evident from all the posts he shared on his official Facebook page. @BintuRita affirms that the two guest stars, the event hosts, and other guests were the highlights of the three-day event, as they did their best to make each show memorable and happy for all attendees, despite the excessive turbulence throughout.
Though they did their best, the worst was yet to come, as the final day of the three-day event ended in a very questionable display of making children’s wishes come true. The winners of the singing contest, of which @BintuRita was a member, were suddenly tasked with becoming part of the program in addition to their prize of getting to sing with Jason Paige. However, things took a horrifying turn as, before they went up to perform onstage, the organizers brought several Make-a-Wish children, who were evidently sick and supposedly immunocompromised and terminally ill, onto the stage for a photo-op and to introduce themselves one by one. Afterwards, the singing contest winners went up on stage to perform with Jason Paige, and then, surprisingly, by themselves entirely unprompted and unprepared by the staff.
Doomed to Repeat ‘Con’ History
To say the attendees were disappointed with the event would be an understatement, as there were numerous questionable decisions, additions, omissions, and shortcomings the entire three-day event had. Social media users have taken to liken the event to past infamous disasters, such as the gigantic failure of Dashcon, the Tumblr convention held in 2014, and the misleading and false-advertising Fyre Festival held in 2017. Many have also pointed out the similarities to the recently-trended Willy Wonka Experience that took place in Glasglow this past February 2024.
It’s a bit puzzling how the organizers were able to hold such an event using Pokémon, as Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have been notoriously strict with the use of their IPs. However, if one looks closely, Pokeverse’s marketing everywhere safely skirts the line between legality, as they never use the official ‘Poké’ prefix and have been devoid of any official Pokémon logos and branding, opting to use their own logo of a multicolored lightning bolt of the letter ‘P.’ They also slyly label Pokeverse to be a ‘Pokemon-themed’ event and not a ‘Pokémon’ event, very closely marking themselves somewhat safe from the IP. It’s currently unknown whether Nintendo nor The Pokémon Company intend to act upon this tragic misuse of the beloved franchise.
Source:
[1] @BintuRita’s Viral Twitter/X Megathread
[2] Pokeverse Website
[3] Veronica Taylor Tweet: Not receiving any money to appear
[4] Veronica Taylor Tweet: Pokeverse Day 1
[5] Veronica Taylor Tweet: Pokeverse Day 2
