Sponsored PokéStops and Gyms to be removed from several Unibail-Rodamco malls in the Netherlands10/19/2018  Trainers, Niantic has posted an update on their official Facebook page stating that sponsored PokeStops and Gyms will be removed from several shopping malls under the Unibail-Rodamco umbrella company.
The official announcement: As of this weekend, sponsored PokéStops and Gyms will be removed from the following Unibail-Rodamco malls in the Netherlands, but a large number of non sponsored PokéStops and Gyms found within will remain.
We hope you continue to have an amazing time playing Pokémon GO while visiting these malls and ask that you also continue to be kind and courteous to fellow visitors. Good luck as you search for Beldum and Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region this weekend! We have no additional information to share on why these PokeStops are being removed, but it is curious to see Niantic loosing sponsors on such an alarming rate. Recently, TOHO dropped sponsorship in Japan, Sprint in US (by the looks of it) and Unibail-Rodamco now stepped out in Netherlands. We’ll pay close attention to any future developments in this space, but for now, let’s see what happens with Unibail malls in other countries. P.S. Stadshart Amstelveen was one of the Safari Zone 2017 venues, with tickets selling out in less than a minute: Amstelveen and Stockholm Safari Zone tickets sold out in record time: less than a minute!
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 Pokémon Go's Gen 4 will offer 107 new Pokémon, the second largest addition of new creatures to the game since its summer 2016 debut - topping the 80 or so added in Gen 2, and close to the numbers we've seen in Gen 3.
As the name suggests, Gen 4 Pokémon are from the franchise's fourth generation of games - Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum - and feature many evolutions of creatures from previous generations, as well as some new baby Pokémon and, as always, brand new Legendary creatures. After months of teases and hints, Gen 4 has finally arrived - and like Gen 3, they will arrive in waves.  Just yesterday, we shared the news that Pokémon GO's Generation 4 update had started to rollout - albeit with some teething problems - but the launch of the next era of the game is now well and truly underway. We've got all the details you need, including which Generation 4 Pokémon you can already find in Pokémon GO, below.
Things finally kicked off yesterday, with players around the world managing to get their hands on several Sinnoh Pokémon - creatures which originally appeared in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl as part of the fourth generation of games. Niantic has since confirmed that these Pokémon will make their way to the game in "waves", meaning that the generation's 107 monsters will be rolled out bit by bit. Niantic's statement also confirms that the new set of creatures will be available in all the usual ways - finding them in the wild, hatching eggs, and battling in raids. "Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region will be making their way to Pokémon GO in waves! So, you can look forward to discovering even more Pokémon over the next few weeks appearing in the wild, hatching from Eggs, and battling in raids. Stay tuned to our official channels for updates about new Pokémon, new features, and expansions to existing features like Pokémon storage and more!" At the time of writing, we have personally confirmed that there are at least 18 new Pokémon available to all players, with reports of a further seven being available via regional exclusive inclusions or egg hatching. Firstly, here's a list of the 18 that are more easily available:
The other seven are Carnivine, Chatot, and Pachirisu, which only seem to be spawning in particular areas of the globe; Shinx, Luxio, and Luxray, whereby Shinx seems to be appearing as a Raid Boss, and Luxio can be found by hatching 10km eggs; and Riolu, with reports suggesting that this can also be found in 10km eggs. It's worth noting that Luxio, being a '1st stage' Pokémon (essentially meaning it has evolved once) shouldn't be appearing in eggs going by the game's usual logic - we'd expect this to be changed soon, if it hasn't been fixed already.  Pokémon Go's Gen 4 will offer 107 new Pokémon, the second largest addition of new creatures to the game since its summer 2016 debut - topping the 80 or so added in Gen 2, and close to the numbers we seen in Gen 3.
These Gen 4 Pokémon are from the franchise's fourth generation of games - Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum - and feature many evolutions of creatures from previous generations, as well as some new baby Pokémon and, as always, brand new Legendary creatures. Gen 4 has finally been confirmed by Niantic, and even without one, their arrival one day is a certainty - especially as the game has jumped ahead and added Alolan Pokémon from the far future Gen 7. With autumn here and certain events wrapping up, we have an estimated Pokémon Go Gen 4 release date. Estimated Pokémon Go Gen 4 release date Though Niantic has yet to reveal exactly when Gen 4 will arrive - the announcement alongside a host of game changes said they will be arriving in the coming weeks - we imagine it'll follow Gen 3's example of being rolled out in waves, with a handful of creatures to start with. So when will it begin? Our best guess of an estimated Pokémon Go Gen 4 release date is around when Mewtwo has disappeared from raids. This takes place on Tuesday, October 23rd. Niantic has been teasing Gen 4 starters on Twitter ahead of this date, however, while an update mentioning Sinnoh (Gen 4) creatures coming to the game has just been released - so it could be sooner: That said, there is a strong chance Niantic will introduce a Halloween event towards the end of the month - and around October 23rd will be perfect timing. The first Gen 3 types were Ghost Types during last year's Halloween event and we wouldn't be surprised to see something similar - especially with seven Ghost creatures in Gen 4, two of which (Dusknoir, Froslass) are evolutions of previously released Pokémon and one Legendary, Giratina. What you need to know about Pokémon from Gen 4 Gen 4 follows some of the same traits as previous generations. There are three Grass, Fire and Water starters - all with two evolutions each - and the standard array of common birds and bugs alongside a fleet of powerful Legendaries. There are, however, a number of interesting statistics that set it apart from previous generations:
 Trainers won’t have to wait much longer for the Pokemon Go Gen 4 release date.
Fans believe they have worked out when the new Pocket Monsters will be launched, and most agree it will be this week. Niantic’s Fall event appears to be kicking off very soon and will probably include bonuses and rewards tied to catching Gen 4 types. The development team have been slowly teasing the launch of the new Pokemon via the game’s official Twitter account. And fans believe this points to the launch of Gen 4 Pokemon happening later today. This would mean it is starting straight after the Psychic Spectacular, which ended earlier this week. Here are some of the teasers released so far by Niantic: “We’re excited to hear reports of a Water-type Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region that can dive for over 10 minutes to hunt. “Its speed and quick movement definitely lead us to believe that it's a skilled swimmer.” “Ready to join us on our adventure with Pokémon first discovered in the Sinnoh region, Trainers? “Here’s a sneak peek of another Pokémon. Sources say that photosynthesis occurs across this Pokémon’s body under the sun. We can’t wait to take an AR photo of it.” Piplup is one the Gen 4 starter Pokemon, alongside Turtwig and Chimchar. The tweet may also suggest that the Gen 4 starter Pokemon could be released first. So when we run out of starters to be teased with, does that mean the release will begin soon after? Fans certainly hope so. Niantic also plans to make significant changes to Pokemon Go as part of the Gen 4 update. Weather, for example, will have less of an impact on the rate in which certain Pokemon appear. Indeed, players should notice a more diverse selection of Pokemon appearing in any given area. "As you explore a given area, you will notice that a greater variety of Pokemon species will appear over time and at different rates," Niantic explains. "Certain areas, such as parks and nature reserves, will now contain more varied Pokemon species." The Pokemon Go developer also plans to re-balance the battle mechanics in the game. CP values will be adjusted to improve balance, while HP values will be altered in a bid to close the gap between the stronger and weaker Pokemon. This will all done as Trainers look forward to the game’s next major seasonal event, Halloween. The spooky holiday began around the 20th last year, suggesting something will be announced in the coming days. And if the Gen 4 Pokemon release does begin with the starters, it could then be followed by Ghost-types as part of Halloween. This is all speculation at this time, including the Gen 4 release date, so fans will want to keep an eye out for the latest news. There’s also a good chance that with the new Pokemon will come new shinies to collect. Shiny Pokemon are rare versions of Pokemon, which have different colour schemes and a glowing glow – hence the term shiny. Shinies made their debut in the Game Boy Colour games Pokemon Silver, Pokemon Gold and the definite version of Pokemon Crystal in 2001. The newly introduced shinies were neither stronger or better in any way but were incredibly rare to encounter and catch. As a result, catching all the shiny Pokemon has become something of a secondary goal to achieve right after completing your Pokedex. To date, there are around 100 shiny Pokemon and variants, evolutions included, introduced to Pokemon Go. Many of these shiny Pokemon were introduced during community events and monthly field research tasks.  Pokémon GO appears to be an unstoppable force, with Sensor Tower reporting Niantic's mobile hit just had its best month since November 2017. The title grossed close to $85 million ($84.8 million, to be exact) during the month of September. This is a 15 percent month-over-month increase and compared to last September it's an 89 percent improvement. As a result of this, it's the fourth best app in terms of revenue.
In terms of downloads, the game had its strongest month of 2018 so far - reaching 8.86 million additional installs. Compared to last September, this is reportedly a 100 percent year-over-year increase. Taking into account September's sales figures, this means Pokémon GO has had its highest earnings for the third quarter since its launch year. As we reported towards the end of last month, GO players have now spent a whopping $2 billion dollars on the game (via in-app purchases) since it was originally released in July 2016.  If you gotta catch 'em all, you're going to have to get off your couch. In a new video released on the official Pokémon YouTube channel, it revealed that the popular mobile game Pokémon Go will get its first exclusive monster with Meltan. And for those wanting to fill their Pokémon bank with every single critter, there will be a timed period where Meltan can be transferred from the mobile game to the upcoming Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee! on Nintendo Switch via a special item. Once it's in the game, it can likely be transferred to your Pokémon bank, which can then be transferred to the next mainline series Pokémon game that's set to release in late 2019. The Pokémon Company has done limited releases of Pokémon in the past, usually through events at GameStop. But this is the first time a new creature will be introduced to players from a non-mainline game. Players in Pokémon Go noticed last month that caught Dittos were transforming into Meltan.
It's unclear how viable Meltan will be for competitive play. But considering Meltan is a mythical Pokémon, it's likely that its base stat total will be 600, which is above average. It's also likely that players will need to catch multiple Meltan to find the right one. And if finding a Meltan in Pokémon Go proves to be a challenge, it's going to drive competitive players wild. Meltan itself is steel type Pokémon and is classified as a hex nut, a new species. It's body is made of liquid metal and its shape is fluid. Meltan generates electricity using the metal it absorbs from outside sources. Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee! are set to arrive on November 16th on Nintendo Switch.  Your Pokedex in Pokémon Go is about to get much bigger, as creatures from the Sinnoh region make their way to Niantic and The Pokémon Company’s mobile game. A new trailer for Pokémon Go teases the arrival of the first fourth-gen Pokémon, including starter trio Chimchar, Turtwig, Piplup and the legendary Giratina.
Sinnoh-region Pokémon made their series debut in 2006’s Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and they’ve been a long time coming in Pokémon Go. Niantic and The Pokémon Company didn’t provide a specific date for the arrival of Sinnoh-region Pokémon, but their release appears imminent. In addition to a new generation of Pokémon, the developers of Pokémon Go are making some changes to the game “based on Trainer feedback.” According to The Pokémon Company: Moving forward, the weather feature will have a reduced effect on the rate at which Pokémon appear. As you explore a given area, you will notice that a greater variety of Pokémon species will appear over time and at different rates. Certain areas, such as parks and nature reserves, will now contain more varied Pokémon species. The Pokémon Company said it has further balance tweaks planned, including adjustments to CP value, adjustments to HP values “to close the gap between Pokémon with high and low HP” and rebalanced defense and stamina values.  With updates, activities, events, and more coming out every single week in Pokémon GO, we thought it was about time to take a look at this week, and how it stacks up with what we have seen in previous years. “This Week in Pokemon GO History” is a series on GO Hub that takes a look at this calendar week throughout 2016, 2017 and 2018. This week we will be taking a look at week 40 of this year, which takes into account October 1st to October 7th. With fun coming around at every corner, at some points it’s hard to keep up, take this week of 2018 as an example: Psychic Spectacular  This event put a spotlight onto Psychic-types, a typing that is often ignored for its rarity nowadays. To celebrate the event, more Psychic-type Pokémon such as Slowpoke, Abra, Baltoy, Beldum and of course, Drowzee; The latest Shiny to have been added, would start appearing in the wild. To follow along with this, more Psychic-type oriented research tasks would start to appear, and Unown would start to show up to different events. For some unknown reason however, a brand new Hat Pikachu would also make its appearance but for only a limited time of 48 hours.
Deoxys Appears Having been announced the week prior after a load of EX Pass controversy, Trainers were finally able to go out and catch their very first Deoxys, however this time around, only featuring Normal Forme Deoxys. To go along with the new EX Pass sharing feature, Trainers shared videos of them taking down Deoxys in a Duo-Trainer match. Based on its sudden appearance, many Trainers have speculated that it may have only been a field test. October Field Research As with every month, a new Legendary made its way to the Field Research Breakthrough system; Suicune (Zero’s favorite Pokémon)! Which brought along Water-type oriented research tasks that introduced us to a brand new Shiny; Krabby! And as with every month, a brand new Spinda Form was added; Pattern 1! Being the third pattern of Spindas that has been released. Game Data Changes This time around we found references to a new Background mode and Weekly fitness goals, a new feature we can expect in the coming weeks! Meteor Mash has been added to the base code, hints at a new event, battle party improvements, and a new ban acknowledgement. Overall, a pretty stuffed roster!  A new report reveals just how incredibly popular and lucrative Epic's free-to-play battle royale game Fortnite is on mobile, and specifically Apple's iOS. A report from SensorTower states the game has now made $300 million from its microtransactions on iOS since it launched 200 days ago on March 15. That's a incredible achievement, but it's not the fastest to $300 million on iOS. Niantic's Pokemon Go holds that record, bringing in $300 million after just 113 days on Apple's platform, according to SensorTower.
Perhaps a better comparison for Fortnite is the iOS edition of rival PUBG. It started selling extra content on April 15, around 173 days ago, and has made around $47 million since then. The SensorTower report also compares Fortnite's first 200 days to other popular games, and Epic's battle royale game dominates. As you can see in the chart here, Fortnite grossed many millions more than games like Clash Royale, Honor of Kings, and Knives Out over their first 200 days. Of Fortnite's $300 million in revenue on iOS, about 65 percent of the spending came from the United States. Worldwide, the game is averaging about $1.5 million revenue per day, according to the report. The report also shines a light on how important the launch of a new Season within Fortnite is for the game's commercial success. The iOS version pulled in about $20 million in the past week since Season 6 started September 27, due in part to the launch of the new Battle Pass that includes various extras. Elsewhere, the SensorTower report states that Fortnite's Android version has brought in $60 million since it arrived on August 9. Combined with the iOS edition's $300 million $360 million for iOS and Android. Fortnite is also available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, so the game's total microtransaction revenue is surely significantly higher with all platforms accounted for. |
