Here Are the Upcoming Updates to Pokémon Go

The hottest game of last summer has fallen by the wayside in terms of user retention. Last summer it seemed like every city had Pokémon on the brain, but by fall, the app’s popularity had fallen. However, the Pokémon Go era is not over yet. The following will discuss four updates to the app that could signal an upswing in its popularity. If you stopped playing the game last year, one of these exciting new updates may be exactly what you need to improve your Pokémon Go experience.

Upcoming Update: Shiny Event

Players predict that Niantic, the maker of Pokémon Go, is working on new “shiny” characters. What are these shiny characters? In the first release of these characters, they were special, difficult-to-catch Magikarp and Gyarados. Players suggest that the update might be coming soon because Pokémon are behaving the same way they were before that previous update:  Niantic changed Pokémon encounters. They were different before the first shiny release to make it harder for players to fake their locations.

Read More: User Retention is Declining in Pokémon Go

Upcoming Update: The Mysterious “Big Event”

Niantic recently rolled out an Easter “Eggstravaganza” event that lasted through April 20. While that event was a hit, the company’s general manager teased a bigger event for the app, saying that he hoped users would keep an eye on the events. As for what Niantic meant by this tease, users are speculating that the “big event” could introduce functions that users have wanted like raids and player trading.

Upcoming Update: Legendary Creatures Update

Another mysterious tease from Niantic: CEO John Hanke said that players could expect to see more legendary creatures added to the game “this year.” These legendary creatures include popular Pokémon animals like Mew, Zapdos, Lugia, and Articuno.

Recent Update: New Creatures and Features Update

Recently, Pokémon Go added 80 new characters from the Pokémon Gold and Silver video games. If you’re familiar with the video games, you’ll know that the new creatures added were originals found in the “Johto” region of the video game universe.

In addition to the new characters, Niantic also added new features. For example, Pokémon now react differently than they used to when players try to engage with them. Additionally, Pokémon that players find in the Kanto region can evolve to play in the Johto region, too. Finally, new berries were introduced, as well: the Nanab Berry slows Pokémon down, while the Pinap Berry doubles the amount of Candy received in the next catch.