I choose you: Five couples said ‘yes’ at Pokémon Go Fest 2024 in Madrid

Which is probably a record?

Niantic

People encountering their future significant other at gaming events isn’t really a novelty anymore and even sealing the deal in such a venue isn’t that unheard of – but five couples saying ‘yes’ at the same video game event? That has to be a record and Pokémon Go Fest 2024 in Madrid has the honor of owning it.

Granted, this wasn’t a coincidence: Niantic put out a call via social media ahead of its traditional offline events this year, looking for couples who’ve met because of the mobile game and who’d be interested in proposing at Go Fest. Those who applied and got accepted were treated to a special proposal package during their attendance, including Pikachu and Eevee mascots that provided emotional support during the engagement proposals – and fluffy hugs right afterwards.

For all the justified criticism against Niantic and how it handles its cash cow sometimes, this is definitely a heartwarming story and a sweet move by the developer. “At Niantic, our mission is to foster real-world social connections and relationships by encouraging people to explore the world together through games,” explained Lena Cellis, live events manager at Niantic. “Each year, we are delighted to see Trainers take their love for each other and Pokémon Go to the next level by getting engaged at our live events. This year in Madrid, we had the joy of witnessing five couples from around the world ask the big question – and we're thrilled to share that they all said yes!”

Things could potentially have gone wrong – Niantic fixed the fact that the proposals were going to happen in Madrid, but their outcome was very much in the air. It took quite a bit of well-meaning subterfuge to keep things secret until the appointed time: Joris from the Netherlands told Louise, his girlfriend-turned-fiancée, that they’d won a VIP meet-and-greet with Pikachu and Eevee to keep her unsuspecting. “As the day went by I got more and more nervous and hoped she didn’t see anything, as I was carrying the ring with me,” Joris said afterwards. ”But she didn’t expect anything and it was a real surprise!”

Joris uses Engagement Proposal. It's super effective. / Niantic

The couple met during a Pokémon Go Raid in the Dutch town of Soest in February 2019 and have been at several offline events since – and Joris already had plans for a proposal at their anniversary later this year. However, when he learned of Niantic’s offer, he accelerated those plans without hesitation.

There is also the great tale of Spanish couple Ana and Daniel, who met through a Pokémon Go WhatsApp group in 2018 and fell in love when he coached her on how to get better at the title. They have a daughter together and both actually proposed to each other in the past, but both times ‘no’ was the answer. Third time’s the charm thought Ana and this time a surprised Daniel responded positively. “In the end, Pokémon Go has given me a good boyfriend (hopefully husband!), a 3-year-old daughter, many friends in Benidorm and even others around the world,” Ana things summed up.

Here’s hoping their marriages will yield many successful Shiny hunts and triumphant Raids. Check out the Pokémon Go 5-Star Raids in July 2024, where you may encounter one of the happy couples.