Pokémon Doubles Down on Decision to Penalize Pro Player

A Pokémon pro who saw his tourney triumph taken distant from him successful arguable circumstances volition not beryllium getting an authoritative reprieve.

That's according to a new, authoritative ruling handed down by Play! Pokémon, the squad wrong The Pokémon Company that handles competitory events, which doubles down connected the determination to punish Pokémon Go subordinate Firestar73, and levies caller accusations that helium was "shaking the array during gameplay" causing "a disruption to the broadcast experience."

Earlier this month, some Firestar73 and his hostile spoke retired aft the player's expansive last triumph astatine the Pokémon Orlando Regionals was taken away, seemingly owed to his lucifer triumph solemnisation wherever helium stood up, did a fist pump, past shook hands with the different player.

So here's a unrecorded look with a adjacent up of the headphones making interaction connected the desk. This had to beryllium a determination that came from the higher ups arsenic an effort to beryllium "consistent" with their ruling based connected the incidental that happened a time anterior (that video is here… pic.twitter.com/S3tzpgtWtW

— Tru Inferno ✈️JAPAN past Chicago for TWO GO FESTS! (@TruInfernoPoGo) April 6, 2026

Pokémon fans roundly backed Firestar73 and called the determination to instrumentality distant his triumph "embarrassing", portion Firestar73 himself said helium had asked to person the determination officially re-examined. That determination has present been made, but has done thing to calm instrumentality fury implicit the incidental — with galore seeing the caller accusations arsenic simply an effort to warrant the archetypal decision.

"During the Pokémon Go Grand Finals, we would similar to stock immoderate accusation which whitethorn not beryllium known to the broader community," Play! Pokémon wrote successful its authoritative ruling. "Prior to the last crippled incident, during crippled 1 of the bracket reset series, a subordinate was issued a Warning for the enactment of hitting and shaking the array during gameplay. Actions specified arsenic these tin person a antagonistic interaction connected the acquisition of participants and disturb the lucifer successful progress. Then, during crippled five, this aforesaid player's behaviour continued to beryllium disruptive, including shaking the array to the constituent that determination was a disruption to the broadcast experience. These repeated infractions resulted successful a punishment that was escalated to Game Loss."

Oddly, there's present nary proposition that Firestar73's winning solemnisation was an contented — lone the accusation that helium was "disruptive" during the game, thing determination had been nary nationalist treatment of being an contented previously.

"We volition uphold the decisions made by the Judges astatine this event," Play! Pokémon's connection continues. "Pokémon Judges are committed to bringing the champion imaginable acquisition to our players by preserving the competitory integrity of our events. Without them and their committedness to Play! Pokémon, we would not beryllium capable to clasp events, and it is our anticipation that they are treated with the aforesaid respect arsenic each radical successful the community. In the infinitesimal of a win, emotions are high, and we admit that these emotions tin pb to energetic reactions celebrating a win. We privation to enactment this authentic, affirmative reaction, and not discourage this excitement. Celebrations are not an issue, but actions that disrupt oregon tin negatively interaction competitory integrity tin be."

The connection has gone down arsenic good arsenic you mightiness expect, with hundreds of aggravated responses crossed reddit and societal media, wherever an authoritative station connected X/Twitter has been fixed a Community Note stating that "Firestar wasn't fixed an archetypal informing for shaking the table," thing fans accidental should person taken spot earlier immoderate enactment was taken.

Firestar73 himself has besides responded and addressed the array shaking accusation.

"The 'incident' you are now, for the archetypal time, claiming was the ground of the determination did not impact the gameplay astatine all, yet decided the full tournament," helium wrote successful a station connected X/Twitter. "Section 2.1 requires a 'clear mentation of immoderate infraction and its penalty" and I was ne'er fixed this arsenic the ground astatine all."

"These array setup's are highly uncomfortable with the heavy locked down phone, with a USB-C adapter to hardwire the device," 1 instrumentality wrote successful a lengthy thread discussing the concern connected reddit. "The players are stressing origin its expansive finals and are aggressively tapping their phones, of people the array shakes."

"Play! Pokémon had the cleanable accidental to perceive to their assemblage and close an egregious error, but alternatively decided to treble down to showcase their authorization and prop themselves up arsenic infallible," wrote another. "It wouldn't beryllium a show of weakness for Play! Pokémon to admit that 1 of their ain made a mistake and override the decision. After all, adjacent though Play! Pokémon is 1 entity, it's comprised of hundreds of individuals. People are human. People (even judges) tin marque mistakes. It happens."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social