Pokémon GO disqualification upheld

Play! Pokémon has upheld the ruling that stripped Pokémon GO player Firestar73 of his Orlando Regional Championship win after the April 5 grand finals. (ign.com) IGN reported that Firestar73 originally appeared to win the 2026 Orlando Regional Championships, then lost the title after judges assessed a Game Loss tied to what viewers first understood as an “unsportsmanlike” celebration. Firestar73 said on April 13 that he had begun the process of challenging the decision. (ign.com, ign.com) In a statement published April 22, Play! Pokémon said the final penalty was not about celebrating alone. The company said Firestar73 had already received a Warning in game one of the bracket reset for “hitting and shaking the table,” and said his behavior in game five again shook the table enough to disrupt the broadcast, which led judges to escalate the penalty to a Game Loss. (pokemongohub.net) That explanation changed the public framing of the case after more than two weeks of backlash centered on a short clip showing Firestar73 stand up, remove his headphones, pump his fist, and shake his opponent’s hand. IGN reported that even Firestar73’s opponent had said the player should have kept the win. (ign.com, ign.com) The dispute landed in a competitive circuit that had just updated its rule documents. Pokémon said on April 7 that the Play! Pokémon rules and penalty guidelines for the 2026 season had been revised again in Q1 2026, including changes specific to the Pokémon GO handbook and penalty language. (pokemon.com, pokemon.com) Firestar73 disputed the company’s new account after the April 22 statement. Coverage from Dexerto and Kotaku said he argued the table-shaking explanation was being presented “for the first time,” said the earlier incident did not affect gameplay, and said he still had not received a clear explanation for why a warning escalated into a result-flipping Game Loss. (dexerto.com, kotaku.com) Community reaction spread well beyond one match clip. Aftermath reported that players and viewers said the ruling may have cost Firestar73 thousands of dollars in prize money, travel support, and championship positioning, and that many competitors began demanding clearer standards for what counts as disruptive conduct in live finals. (aftermath.site) The broader Pokémon GO scene is small enough that one finals call can ripple through an entire season. Pokémon’s own event results show 407 players entered Pokémon GO at the 2026 Europe International Championships in February, with top placements carrying cash, points, and invitations that shape the road to Worlds. (pokemon.com) Play! Pokémon said it wants to “support” energetic reactions and does not consider celebrations a problem by themselves. But with the Orlando ruling now final, the argument has shifted from one fist pump to how judges document warnings, explain escalations, and communicate penalties after a championship match ends. (pokemongohub.net, ign.com)