There's the distinct possibility that approaching a strange milestone for Pokémon GO, now three years in the making. Every time we get a major international event in this game, the developer gives players a large-scale global challenge as a way of feeling like part of the event. So while players at something like Pokémon GO Fest are working on one side of the puzzle, everyone else around the world has to complete a ton of tasks, catch Pokémon or do something else in order to unlock some sort of global bonuses for when the event ends. In the past, these goals were achieved handily.
Pokémon GO Fest attendees have already cleared the requisite hurdles, Instinct is lagging behind. Everyone's favorite underdogs were at just over 10,000,000 out of the required 15,000,000 at last count, putting them well short of being on pace to finish the challenge.