Niantic
Latest
'Pokémon Go' is getting Legendary monsters for its birthday
Niantic is going all out for Pokémon Go's first anniversary. In addition to holding the Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago and tie-in events all over the globe, it's also finally introducing Legendaries into the mobile game. You'll be able to find Legendary eggs at gyms, but since the Pokémon type is incredibly rare and powerful, you likely won't find one at every turn. Niantic is also using Legendaries as raid bosses, and if you and your team defeat one, you'll get the chance to catch one of your own. You can't use them to defend gyms, but hey, you'll need to catch them if you want to catch 'em all.
Pokémon Go celebrates first birthday with events across the globe
Still playing Pokémon Go? Might as well have fun on its first anniversary. Now that we're only a few days away from the Pokémon Go Fest taking place in Chicago, Niantic has revealed more details about its game's first birthday celebration. Apparently, you can participate in the event no matter where you are in the world by working with the participants at Grant Park during three Challenge Windows that will take place throughout the day.
'Pokémon Go' badasses can now play Raid Battles
Some Pokémon Go players can now start working in groups to take on powerful creatures in Raid Battles, one of the long-awaited features for the popular augmented reality game. There's a catch, though: Pokémon trainers have to be level 35 and up to access the new co-op mode, so don't get too excited if you're a noob. In addition to that, developer Niantic says the Raid Battles are only live at "select" Pokémon Go Gyms around the world, though it's unclear which exactly. Those of you who do happen to be near one will have the chance to capture rare Pokémon and unlock a handful of other rewards, such as Rare Candies, Golden Razz Berries and different types of Technical Machines.
'Pokémon Go' will flag creatures caught using cheats
Niantic has decided that forcing Pokémon Go cheaters to a life of catching Pidgeys isn't quite enough of a punishment. Now, any Pokémon caught using "third-party services that circumvent normal gameplay" will be marked with a slash in people's inventories and "may not behave as expected." The developer has announced its new anti-cheating measure on The Silph Road subreddit, explaining that they're meant to ensure its new features remain fun and fair for all Trainers. Niantic is probably talking about its recently announced raid battles, wherein up to 20 players can participate, that's expected to launch in the coming weeks.
'Pokémon Go' to get raid battles and simplified gyms
A year after Pokémon Go captivated the world with its location-based catch-athon, Niantic is making some changes. The biggest is raid battles, a concept that was teased in the very first trailer for the game. They'll launch "in the coming weeks" and take place at existing gyms, allowing groups of players to take on rare and powerful Pokémon together. At first, you'll see an egg and a countdown timer, as well as one to four boss icons which indicate the creature's difficulty. When the meter drops to zero, the Pokémon will appear and you'll have a limited time to catch it.
'Pokémon Go' update gives cheaters lousy monsters
With a new update, Pokémon Go cheaters won't be banned, but instead thrown into a depressing purgatory. As spotted by Reddit's hardcore Pokémon Go site, Silph Road, Niantic is now "shadowbanning" cheaters by only letting them find humdrum monsters like Pidgey. In a statement, Niantic support said "people who violate the Pokémon Go Terms of Service may have their gameplay affected and may not be able to see all the Pokémon around them."
Pink creatures will invade 'Pokémon Go' this Valentine season
Pokémon Go will look a lot rosier than you're used to these next few days. For V-day 2017, pink Pokémon like Chansey, Porygon and (the evolved form of Clefairy) Clefable will spawn a lot more often than usual. But if you want some cute pink baby Pokémon instead, then start incubating some eggs, because they're more likely to hatch into Cleffa, Igglybuff and Smoochum, as well.
AR games like 'Pokémon Go' need a permit in Milwaukee
Pokémon hunting is apparently a messy business. The Milwaukee County Board passed an ordinance requiring the creators of location-based augmented reality games like Pokémon Go obtain permits before using parks as in-game landmarks. Since it specifically targets game makers, it won't keep Pokémon players out of the parks, but it sets ground rules for developers who want to use them in their games.
'Pokémon Go' is available right now on the Apple Watch
Pokémon Go has made its way to the Apple Watch, enabling trainers to receive notifications right on their wrists about nearby Pokémon, PokéStops, eggs and medals. Players are even able to collect goodies from PokéStops directly via the Apple Watch. This latest version of Pokémon Go also lets users log each gameplay session as a workout that counts toward their Apple Watch Activity rings, and it displays the distance traveled toward hatching an egg and receiving Candy for Buddy Pokémon.
New 'Pokémon Go' creatures include a limited edition Pikachu
Niantic promised more creatures in Pokémon Go on December 12th, and it's delivering... with an interesting twist. It's not only adding "several" new critters from the Pokémon Gold and Silver games (such as Pichu and Togepi), but also releasing a limited edition holiday Pikachu. The Santa cap-wearing creature is available "all over the world," but only until December 29th at 1PM Eastern. If you don't find one by then, you're out of luck.
Starbucks locations are now 'Pokémon Go' Gyms or Pokéstops
We knew a Starbucks collaboration with Pokémon Go was on the way, but now it's official. Niantic, the developer of the massively popular augmented reality game, revealed today that around 7,800 Starbucks coffee shops in the US have been turned into Gyms or Pokéstops. Aside from this, since these are sponsored locations after all, trainers can also pick up a special Pokémon Go Frappuccino drink. And, just like you can do at Sprint stores now, you'll have access to a charging station too.
Sprint stores are PokéStops and Gyms for 'Pokémon Go'
As rumored, Niantic is bringing brand partnerships to its hit augmented reality game, Pokémon Go. The software developer has announced that Sprint will have the first sponsored locations in the US, with more than 10,500 stores expected to be turned into PokéStops and Gyms. It's worth nothing this doesn't only include Sprint's namesake shops, but also those from Boost Mobile and RadioShack -- which are owned by the carrier. These spaces will feature in-store charging stations too, in case your smartphone can't keep up with all your quests.
'Pokémon Go' may get 100 new Pokémon this week (updated)
Pokémon Go is about to get bigger, according to a handful of Starbucks employee guides that found their way online early this week. The images have not been verified by Niantic, the Pokémon Company or Starbucks, but Reddit sleuths claim that verified Starbucks employees have vouched for their veracity. "The world of Pokémon Go is about to expand with new Pokémon and a new Starbucks beverage!" the "Barista need-to-know" guide says. The flyers indicate that Pokémon Go's second generation will kick off on Thursday, December 8th.
New 'Pokémon Go' creature throws unpredictability into your game
That didn't take long. Mere days after leaks hinted that Pokémon Go would get more monsters, Niantic and The Pokémon Company have rolled Ditto into the game. The critter is a shape-shifter that won't reveal its true form until you capture it -- in other words, the only reliable way to capture a Ditto is to keep playing until you find one at random. In the Gym, it'll assume the looks and abilities of the first creature it sees and stay that way throughout other battles.
'Pokémon Go' might soon add Ditto and generation 2 monsters
If catch and daily bonuses aren't enough to lure you back into playing Pokémon Go, maybe new monsters are. The SilphRoad has dissected newly added codes in the game's files and found references to shapeshifting Ditto and 100 Generation 2 monsters, from #152 Chikorita to #251 Celebi. Ditto has been in the game's codes for a while, but the team discovered a new "Transform" move meant for the critter with its own animation sequence. As you might know, Ditto is known for turning into the Pokémon it's battling in addition to its ability to breed with any monster.
The Pokémon Go Plus bracelet is great for grinding
My Pokémon Go survival kit keeps growing. It started simply enough, with just my iPhone 6 Plus happily running Pokémon Go, but it quickly became apparent that I would need backup battery power in order to comfortably catch digital monsters for extended periods of time. After all, this is a game that takes players away from their outlets and into the great wilds of the real world, so I shoved a portable power pack and cable into my purse. I happen to live in Arizona, so I soon added an icy water bottle to the mix. Now, with the launch of Pokémon Go Plus, my kit also includes a lanyard bracelet, a plastic vibrating teardrop painted like a Poké Ball and a tiny screwdriver. I'm starting to suspect Ash Ketchum was hiding more than hair under his iconic hat.
Russian YouTuber imprisoned for playing 'Pokémon Go' in a church
A Russian YouTuber has been imprisoned and could be looking at some serious jail time, all for catching a Poliwag in a church and posting footage of it online. As the Guardian reports, Ruslan Sokolovsky's video has been viewed over 900,000 times since it was posted on August 11th and begins with Sokolovsky addressing news reports warning Pokémon Go players that their hobby could get them locked up if they played the game in church.
Niantic is reversing bans on some 'Pokémon Go' accounts
Pokémon Go players who felt they were wrongly banned might get a reprieve. That's because developer Niantic has said that in its quest to block bots and data scrapers, some people who used third-party map apps to locate the virtual critters were wrongly blocked.
Niantic vows to ban 'Pokémon Go' cheaters
Niantic is trying to make Pokémon Go more fair for its millions of players across the globe, this week officially confirming that it will ban any account that appears to be cheating. "After reviewing many reports of in-game cheating, we have started taking action against players taking unfair advantage of and abusing Pokémon Go. Moving forward, we will continue to terminate accounts that show clear signs of cheating," Niantic said.
Smart glasses make hands-free 'Pokémon Go' a reality
Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm. It's not uncommon to see dozens of people walking around parks and city streets with their heads buried in their phones, trying to catch cute cartoon monsters. Unfortunately, doing so means you're not keeping your eyes on the road, which has already led to a few accidents. But what if you could somehow play Pokémon Go while also paying attention to the world around you? That's exactly what Recon has attempted to do by porting the popular game over to the Jet, a pair of Android-based smart glasses the company released last year. The setup isn't perfect and it doesn't work completely just yet, but even what I've seen so far provides an exciting glimpse at the next wave of augmented reality.
