Legendary Pokémon, such as Mewtwo, will make their way to Pokémon Go in 2017. This is part of a host of updates coming to the hit mobile game this year.
In an interview with the German edition of Wired, Niantic CEO John Hanke addressed legendary Pokémon. “I can safely say we’ll see more of it this year,” said Hanke when asked about the creatures. A recent update added 80 new monsters from the second-generation Pokémon games.
Hanke also said the developer is considering ways to increase participation in the arenas (Gyms). “There is very limited gameplay in the arenas. They simply do not work as well as we would wish,” said Hanke. “We will rework this aspect of the game so that there will be more teamwork and people will get more incentive and reward for participating.”
Trading Pokémon is also coming in a future update. While trading is a highly-requested feature, players shouldn’t expect it to allow them to trade with anyone. ““[Trading] won’t be through the internet,” said senior product manager Tatsuo Nomura in an interview with Polygon. “You shouldn’t be able to exchange your Pokémon with someone who is 100 miles away from you. The person needs to be in your proximity.”
Pokémon Go was released last year and quickly became a massive hit. Developed by Niantic Labs, the game allows players to catch and battle Pokémon in the real world. The game has now surpassed 650 million downloads. While the game has been a huge hit, it has done little for Nintendo’s bottom line, the company most closely associated with Pokémon.
The Pokémon Company recently announced another mobile game in the franchise. The game, which has only been announced for Japan, is translated as Splash! Magikarp. It is scheduled for release in Japan later this year.
