Pokémon Go’s latest event for Valentine’s Day is coming to an end but Niantic is keeping players interested with the announcement that 80 new Pokémon are coming to the game later this week in its biggest update yet.
It’s been rumored for a while that Niantic was planning to increase the number of generation 2 Pokémon in the game and CEO John Hanke himself said it was part of the plan, but now it’s finally confirmed.
The Pokémon that will be added are from the game’s second generation which encompasses the Gold and Silver handheld titles.
Jump into Johto
That means you’ll now be able to catch Pokémon from the Johto region like Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile. Not only that, you won't have to hatch them from eggs first – you’ll be able to come across them in the wild like other Pokémon.
This is certainly the biggest new feature in the upcoming update, but it’s not the only one. As well as new monsters to catch there’ll be new encounter gameplay, new evolution items, two new berries and more clothing and accessories to choose from.
Niantic’s CEO John Hanke said of the update: “Today is a momentous occasion for our team here at Niantic, which has been hard at work to deliver these additional Pokémon and build upon the encounter and capture mechanics for our passionate global community of Trainers playing Pokémon Go.
"Pokémon Go is a live experience that we’ll be continuing to support and evolve in new and interesting ways for years to come with new gameplay features, in-game and live events, more Pokémon to discover, and much more.”
So, if themed events weren’t enough to draw players back perhaps these new Pokémon and the promise of more exciting features to come will be.
