One can say this should have been the highlight of summer for Trainers, with the long-overdue return of Shiny Origin Forme Dialga and Shiny Origin Forme Palkia in Pokémon GO’s Ultra Unlock: Origin Day. Instead, plenty of Trainers found themselves frustrated on August 10, 2025, after a bug severely impacted the shiny appearance rates during raids. Niantic has since acknowledged the issue and promised compensation to the affected individuals.
Brief but Very Impactful
The Ultra Unlock: Origin Day ran on Sunday, August 10, from 2 PM to 5 PM local time, giving Trainers only a 3-hour window in which they could partake in raids for these Legendary Pokémon.Up until this day, the Ultra Unlock rewards were attained through this venue during this year’s Pokémon GO Fest, which had the Hisui Celebration, the Steel and Scales event, and an assortment of rare spawns lined up.This Raid day is meant to be special, both Dialga and Palkia in their Origin Formes were to be featured with boosted shiny rates, and Trainers, thus, were expected to hit as many raids as possible.
The Bug That Spoiled the Hunt
The social media buzz started virtually immediately. Trainers found themselves describing scarcely any shiny drops in dozens of raids. One player reported having completed 40 raids for a single shiny; another said a friend completed 97 raids and could barely muster two. Shortly thereafter, Niantic put out a statement via @NianticHelp on X:“Trainers, we have identified an issue affecting the appearance rate for shiny Origin Forme Dialga and Origin Forme Palkia in Raid Battles during the Ultra Unlock Raid Day. We are planning compensation for affected Trainers and will share more details soon.”
Community Reaction: A Sea of Disappointment
This isn’t the first time Pokémon GO players have dealt with event bugs, which some fans were quick to point out. Commenters under Niantic’s post lamented and resignedly alleged that this sort of thing seems to happen every “major event.” With the limited window of opportunity and the Pokémon being ultra-rare, missing out on the boosted shiny rates stung even more.
What Could Compensation Look Like?
While Niantic hasn’t outright confirmed anything, common ways past compensations worked give us some possibilities, such as:
- Bundles of free Raid Passes given to affected players.
- Timed Research that guarantees encounters with Shiny Origin Forme Dialga and Palkia.
- Extended Raid Days or bonus hours so Players could get another crack at the hunt.
With so many Trainers standing to be disheartened, one hopes the community spirit will bring them a generous outcome.
What’s Next for Pokémon GO Players
August continues to be full of events for Pokémon GO, despite the goof. The Pokémon GO Fest: Max Finale runs from August 18-23, with the first appearances of the hefty Eternatus in its Eternamax form. This final summer event is expected to be one of the most challenging experiences of the game until now, with Max Battles putting the Trainers’ skills and coordination to the test.
In the meantime, all attention has shifted towards Niantic to see how it resolves the fallout from the Origin Forme shiny bug. For many Trainers, the compensation will be more than just about the tangible in-game rewards; it’ll also mean restoring trust with Niantic.
