 Seemingly out of the blue, Niantic has confirmed the Pinsir Raid Day, which was scheduled for June 28, has been canceled.
This is not the first time the Pokémon Go developers have canceled a planned event this close to its start time, but no explanation was given as to why plans have changed. In an update posted to the official Pokémon Go blog, Niantic said the event had been canceled and told players to watch for updates on its social media channels. Normally there would be a statement of some kind explaining what caused the delay. There is also no information on if this will cancel the one PokéCoin Raid Day box that would have given players three Remote Raid Passes. That bundle was supposed to go live right before the event started, so more details about that should be released shortly. While the Pinsir Raid Day will no longer be happening, the Bug Out! event is still set to begin on June 26 and run until July 1. That means players will have a higher chance of encountering Bug-types like Scyther, Venipede, and Dwebble in the wild and by hatching 5km Eggs. Exclusive event Field Research and a double Capture Stardust effect will also be added during that time period. If you use an Incense during the Bug Out! event, you will be more likely to attract certain Bug-types depending on the day.
Niantic could still provide a reason for the Pinir Raid Day cancelation, but for now, players will just have to head into the Bug-type event without knowing why the plans were changed.
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 Niantic has finally fixed the exploits that were impacting the Pokémon Go Battle League. The developer pushed the game mode live again today after nearly a week of it being offline.
This has impacted the schedule for Battle League season two, but Niantic has already provided an updated timeline and a list of other changes that are being made to the mode. The first change is an increased number of daily sets for the remainder of season two. Players can now participate in six sets of five matches per day instead of the usual five, though it’s unclear if this change will also carry over into season three. Players will also get a full week of boosted Battle League rewards. From June 23 to 30, Battle League win rewards will change for both the basic and premium tracks:
Until further notice, the Battle League leaderboard will be temporarily disabled so that Niantic can keep a close eye on the game mode and make sure no other exploits have been missed. At least one of the issues that Niantic fixed was Pokémon being able to use their charged moves over and over with fewer fast attacks thrown in to help charge it up. “As a team, we believe there is a ‘contract of trust’ in Go Battle League: you should always feel your knowledge and skill determine the outcome of your battles,” Niantic said. “Cheating directly attacks this trust contract, and we have zero tolerance for it.  Can Lunatone be Shiny in Pokemon GO? Pokemon GO Summer Solstice Event begun June 19 with increased Lunatone spawns till June 24, allowing players a chance to catch shiny Lunatone.
The Summer Solstice Event is focused on Solrock and Lunatone. Pokemon GO has released set dates and times in which Solrock and Lunatone will appear more. In addition, they have allowed all players a chance to catch them despite which hemisphere they are in. How to Get Shiny Lunatone in Pokemon GO Lunatone can be shiny in Pokemon GO. A shiny variant has been in the game for quite some time and players may already have one. During the Summer Solstice Event, shiny rates do not change but spawns rates increase. Players will encounter more Lunatone depending on the date and time. They might even encounter a shiny Lunatone with the increased normal spawn rates. Luntaone does not evolve and all the candies earned can be used to boost CP or change moves. Its counter-part, Solrock, can also be found shiny. The two are not related by evolution but theme, as the sun and moon. They were introduced in Generation 3, Heonn region and were Gym Leaders Tate and Liza's main Pokemon. The Pokemon GO Summer Solstice Event will end on June 24 at 10 p.m. local time.  I never thought I’d see it, but here we are with a Weedle Community Day in Pokémon GO, much less one voted on by fans. But no, it’s not quite as absurd as it sounds.
In the original list of potential Community Days, the Weedle, Kakuna and Beedrill evolutions represent the only new family of shinies, so that’s something people want to see. Shiny Beedrill is green, so that’s pretty cool. But past that, pro GO players realized that with new unique ground attack Drill Run, it would make Beedrill a formidable competitor in Pokémon GO’s Great League against best-in-CP-range rivals like Azumarill and Registeel. Weedle Community Day is running from 11 AM – 5 PM local time, the six hour “quarantine rules” still in place, along with three hour incense instead of three hour lures, which allows you to farm Weedle wherever you want. So far as I know, the official spawn rate for shinies in Community Day events is 4.1%, meaning that roughly 1 in every 25 encounters will be a shiny, which is higher than it is normally, so this is why everyone wants to farm as many shinies as they can during these things. The idea is to get your best CP, then evolve them by the end of the event in order to have your future Great League champion. I suppose the shiny part isn’t fully necessary for that, but it’s a nice bonus. But my guess is that you probably have enough Weedle candy already to evolve a few different Beedrill options, shiny or otherwise, because I mean, how often are you evolving Beedrills anyway normally, and how common have Weedles been for literally years before this. I think this is kind of a funny event just because this is a Gen 1 Pokémon I never thought would be “featured.” What’s next, Pidgey Community Day? I mean at this point I would probably not rule it out. The other winner of the Community Day poll was Gastly, which is a somewhat less surprising pick, and they will be the featured Pokémon of July’s Community Day, complete with shiny version (that already exists), and a different special move, though I don’t remember what it is off the top of my head. I suppose I have a month to find out. Anyway, get out there and catch some Weedles. That’s a GO phrase I never thought I’d say.  The event celebrates the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest in the Southern. From June 20, days will get gradually shorter in the Northern Hemisphere and longer in the Southern.
Enough of the astronomy lesson though, let's talk about what it means for the Pokemon Go. The Solstice-themed event will take place from June 19, 8am local time to June 24, 10pm local time. Shiny Clefairy Perhaps the most exciting part of the event is the introduction of Shiny Clefairy to the wild. The popular fairy-type Pokemon will also be found in 5km eggs, Raid Battles and in event-exclusive Field Research tasks. Its Shiny form has been available in Pokemon Go previously but only through evolving a Shiny Cleffa. This is only available through hatching eggs and is therefore super rare, so trainers will welcome the opportunity to add this Shiny to their collection. Naturally Cleffa and Clefairy lack the stats needed to compete in the Pokemon Go meta. However, Clefable is one of the strongest fairy-type species and can be a rather useful addition in GO Battle League. Its excellent moveset and typing makes it a fantastic counter to frequently used dragon-types in PvP. Lunatone and Solrock switching up The Meteorite Pokemon are regional exclusives in the world of Pokemon Go and as the event is all about Hemispheres, it's appropriate they are part of it. All trainers will have their chance to capture each of Lunatone and Solrock as they will be appearing more frequently in the wild at the following times. From June 19, 8am local time to June 20, 11:59pm local time, Lunatone will be moving to the eastern hemisphere and Solrock to the western. Then, from June 21, 12am local time to June 22, 11:59pm local time, it'll be a free for all as both will appearing more often everywhere. \For the remainder of the event, Lunatone and Solrock will go back to their original hemispheres (west and east respectively) and spawn more frequently there. Once the event finishes they will stay in their respective regions. There is one constant bonus throughout the event - 2x Catch Stardust. With GO Battle League still down trainers will welcome the opportunity to grind some Catch Stardust and stock up on Clefairy, Lunatone and Solrock. Elsewhere, Zekrom Raids will be running throughout the event.  Niantic has revealed the details of Pokémon GO Fest 2020 Fest, and its pricey ticket to enter will likely be viewed as way too expensive by many. Pokémon Go Fest is a yearly event that Niantic adds to their hit ARG mobile game Pokémon GO, which allows players to join in on global events and encounter pokémon in their own communities and around the world.
Historically, Pokémon GO Fest has been limited to certain cities across the world, requiring out-of-town players to have to travel if they wanted to participate. But, with coronavirus still forcing people to stay inside and way from others, Niantic have gotten creative in the efforts to keep players catching pokémon and spending money. The latest instance of such creativity can be found nowhere else than Pokémon GO Fest 2020, itself. According to Niantic, this year players will be able to spend $14.99 on a ticket that grants them access to both days of the event, and it can be completely experienced from the comfort of players' homes (or wherever they want to play). The developer also pledges that half the proceeds from ticket purchases will go towards the Black Lives Matter movement, continuing their show of solidarity with BLM's cause. That's unquestionably a great cause, but it remains to be seen how many players will be willing to drop $15 to play a single event in a game that's normally A Reddit thread discussing the event's details on r/TheSilphRoad is filled with skepticism about the execution of the event, given its relatively high price tag. Niantic has also incorporated a series of other changes to the in-game economy which have not been well received by players. The change to the in-game economy was seen by players as a way to squeeze money out of them via microtransactions, and now this year's Pokémon GO Fest is appearing to be subject to the same criticisms. While Pokémon GO Fest 2020 includes events such as hourly challenges, over 75 species of (presumably rare) pokémon, and a surprise event on the second day, players are unsure if the price tag is worth it, especially since Niantic have not disclosed what Pokémon specifically will be available during this event. Niantic does sometimes listen to Pokémon GO players, but it doesn't always. Microtransactions have been a part of Pokémon GO since its launch back in 2016, and have included items to enhance gameplay experience such as lures, lucky eggs (for extra EXP), and extra incubators. However, there were other in-game purchases that players feel were necessary to continue playing, such as critical item and pokémon storage upgrades, which are clear-cut quality of life upgrades. These upgrades can only be purchased via the in-game store and are not available through other means, just like the Pokémon Go Fest 2020 tickets. In addition to this, a big part of the Pokémon GO Fests have been the fact that players could actually go out into the world, walk around, and socialize while hunting for rare pokémon or completing the global tasks. That experience will be all but gone thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, so this year's Go Fest will be a hard sell for players, and that was without the $14.99 ticket price. Pokémon GO Fest 2020 starts on July 25, so players have until then to decide if they want to spend the money being asked without knowing exactly what Niantic has in store for them.  Pokémon GO Fest will be, necessarily, different this year. Niantic’s massive Pokémon GO celebration is usually an in-person affair, with thousands of eager trainers swarming over parks in Chicago, Dortmund and Yokohama looking to catch and trade rare creatures. Not so this year, due to COVID-19. GO Fest tickets for a very different sort of event went on sale yesterday, and you might be wondering whether or not it’s worth dishing out that $14.99 for a ticket.
There are some more details too, like the new Niantic Social app and some print-at-home goodies, and you can check out the blog for more on those. Here are the salient details for whether or not you should buy a ticket: It’s a two-day event, and you need to play during that time: Pokémon GO Fest will take place from July 25-26. For some previous events, it was enough to buy the ticket and show up during that time, retrieve a quest and finish it later. That won’t be the case this time around: there are a ton of bonuses that will be happening only during this time. If you can’t play that weekend, it probably isn’t worth it to pick up the ticket. There’s Prep Work: Similar to how we had throwback challenges last month, there is going to be a series of timed research challenges in the weeks leading up to GO Fest. These are not exclusive to ticket holders, but they will unlock extra Pokémon during the event. Special Research, Rare Spawns, and maybe Regionals: When you pony up for an event in this game, you expect some good loot for your trouble. This will be the case for GO Fest this year. What you’re buying is access to rare spawns, special research, and the possibility of some regionals. While we’re not sure what’s showing up yet, artwork for the event features the rare and powerful Gible, as well as Zangoose and Seviper hanging out together. Event mainstay Unown will also be in the mix.  Pokémon Go developer Niantic Inc plans to release two titles over the next six months and sustain that pace annually, accelerating its pipeline in hopes of scoring its next augmented-reality hit.
Niantic defined the AR genre by developing the 2016 release of a game based on Nintendo Co’s endearing Pokémon franchise and it now has 10 more titles in development, according to its top executive. Adapting to the Covid-19 outbreak, the company is hosting its annual festival online this year and also altering its gameplay design so people can keep playing at home. “We’re hard at work on our games pipeline with a multiyear product road map made up of games and other forms of AR experiences,” John Hanke, chief executive officer of the San Francisco-based studio, told a group of reporters last week. “We are extending the concept of what constitutes a Niantic game in a variety of ways,” he added, without elaborating. AR technology, which blends digital elements with real-world environments, is seen as one of the next big leaps in mobile tech and many firms are gearing up to seize the opportunity. That includes Apple Inc, which Bloomberg News has reported will build 3D cameras into this year’s iPhone generation like it’s done for the latest iPad Pro. Formerly a part of Alphabet Inc’s Google – which has its own AR ambitions – Niantic is in charge of the most popular AR app in history with Pokémon Go. Now four years old, Pokémon Go remains one of the highest-grossing smartphone games today, with Sensor Tower estimating it generated US$908mil (RM3.88bil) last year. The game tasks players with tracking down Pokémon by exploring the physical world and casting digital Pokéballs on their phone screen. In-game upgrades and consumables are available to buy to speed progress up. The biggest beneficiary from Niantic’s business is probably Nintendo, as the Bay Area outfit shares Pokémon Go’s revenue with the Kyoto-based giant through the app’s co-developer Pokémon Co. Nintendo also owns an undisclosed stake in Niantic, which remains private. The Covid-19 outbreak presented several challenges to Niantic and Pokémon Go, Hanke said, as people didn’t explore the outdoors to hunt for Pokémon characters the way they usually would. But that also served as an opportunity for the company to brainstorm how it could offer more indoor-playing functions, he said. Hanke said the company’s long-term design goal is to make a quarter of every game playable without leaving the home, as it hopes to bring the AR experience to a wider range of people, including those who have difficulties traveling alone. Pokémon Go now counts the number of steps earned by indoor workouts – steps are an essential component of hatching eggs inside the game – allowing players to keep progressing at home. As a result, Pokémon Go’s revenue from the start of February to the end of May this year increased by 6% from the same period last year, according to Sensor Tower data. In support of worldwide social distancing precautions, Niantic is hosting its annual Pokémon Go Fest digitally for two days from July 25. Past events have attracted large crowds in major cities such as Chicago, Japan’s Yokohama and Germany’s Dortmund, though many players still missed out because of geography and limited tickets. This year, Niantic said tickets are available for US$15 (RM65) each and open to anyone interested in participating. Hanke said the company will continue encouraging players to encounter the real world. One upcoming initiative is a local business recovery programme, wherein players can nominate their favourite local establishment and Niantic will turn it into a Pokémon Go replenishment station free of charge, letting players fill up on Pokéballs, potions and berries while helping drive clientele through its doors.  Niantic has put out a statement for their Pokemon Go players in light of “various ‘exploit’ posts”, and that they have disabled all Pokemon Go Battle League battles until further notice. However, the company did not specify what the exploit was.
“As a team, we believe there is a ‘contract of trust’ in Go Battle League: You should always feel your knowledge and skill determine the outcome of your battles. Cheating directly attacks this trust contract, and we have zero tolerance for it,” wrote Niantic. While the company didn’t write about the details of said exploit, Pokemon Go fan and YouTuber JRskatr shared a video yesterday showing an exploit he found in the Pokemon Melmetal. He said that in the exploit, Melmetal is able to use its charged move, Rock Slide, far more often. This gives players using Melmetal an extremely unfair advantage. There are also players on Twitch who’ve shared videos battling with the same user from JRskatr’s video. The user in question also rose very quickly to the top spot on the leaderboard over the last two days. “Because of this zero tolerance policy and the current situation, we’ve disabled Go Battle League. We’re equally serious about our policy of never commenting on the details of investigations into individual accounts,” wrote Niantic. The company also shared their process for when the possible exploit is identified.
We don’t know yet when Niantic will enable Pokemon Go Battle League yet, as there is still “plenty of work happening behind the scenes”. However, they will only enable the feature once they are “confident the ‘trust contract’ will be honoured”.  Niantic pushed the new Gift sticker feature live in Pokémon Go today, which means players can now customize the Gifts they send to their friends.
They serve no purpose beyond adding some flair to one of the game’s core mechanics, but that’s enough to get players to collect the variety of stickers that will be released moving forward. Every player will receive a set of stickers for free. Additional stickers will be made available when opening Gifts received from friends. It’s unclear if these stickers will replace any other items in the Gift pool, which would mean instead of a Poke Ball or Berries, you could receive Stickers. Though they’ll be available in Gifts, there will be Sticker Bundles and other similar items available in the shop in the near future. There might even be some shop-exclusive stickers, but at launch, there will only be five stickers available. To use a sticker, simply click the “Add Sticker” button that will become available once the feature is added to Pokémon Go. This will prompt you to pick one of your stickers to attach to that Gift. The sticker will appear on an attached card that will be sent along with each Gift. When you receive new stickers, they’ll pop up individually depending on which design you get. At time of writing, there’s no information on when the other features like Raid Invites will be added to the game, even though it was announced at the same time. More information about new stickers and Raid Invites should be released in the near future. But for now, you can send pieces of your new sticker collection to your friends. |