DOWNTOWN — The Pokémon Go craze that swept the nation last summer apparently isn't over yet.
In the eyes of ticket scalpers, it's hopefully just beginning.
Tickets to a festival next month in Grant Park dedicated to last year's viral video game sold out in 15 minutes, Polygon reported Tuesday.
And now scalpers are asking up to $1,000 for wristbands the festival sold for $20. One eBay listing asks for more than $2,000 for a batch of five wristbands.
"More like Pokémon gone," said Bob O'Neill, president of the Grant Park Conservancy.
The festival, which is linked to the game's official social media accounts, promises special Pokéstops with increased Pokémon encounters, special challenges and rewards, as well as an exclusive game medal when it inhabits Grant Park on July 22.
A mobile game, Pokémon Go challenges users to "catch" all the virtual Pokémon they can.
The app overlays digital Pokémon creatures over users' real-life environment using geolocation, prompting players to take to the streets and scan their surroundings with their phones.
The game exploded in popularity last summer, and was notable for being a rare, if not unprecedented, video game that encouraged users to explore the outdoors instead of sitting inside.
Two young men helped catch a school burglar on the Northwest Side while playing Pokémon Go last summer, but state legislators moved to remove one game stop after players trampled protected dunes on the Rogers Park lakefront.
Hundreds of fans went to a free Pokémon Go gathering last summer in Millennium Park.
Festival organizers did not return a message seeking comment.
