Legendary Pokemon are Finally Coming to Pokemon Go! What does it Mean?

One year ago, in July of 2016, a new augmented reality mobile game, Pokémon Go, took the entire world by storm. By entire world, I do mean the entire world. This statement does not just include gamers or longtime Pokémon fans, as Pokémon Go invaded the mainstream in a way few other video games ever had. The instant popularity of the game coupled with mainstream coverage drew in even more players to the mobile app. The result was millions of people all across the world roaming around parks and neighborhoods, staring at their phone screens in search of mythical creatures. It really was like we had temporarily entered into some bizarre version of modern society. One year later, the buzz and popularity has significantly died down, leaving a much smaller group of hardcore fans still hoping to “catch ‘em all.” Despite the significantly smaller player base, Niantic, the developer behind Pokémon Go, is still making efforts to support their mobile game. Their efforts have resulted in a much deeper and better game than we had at launch, and has even inspired some Pokémon Go resurgences. On July 20^th, 2017, we awoke to quite possibly the biggest news to hit Pokémon Go fans to date. The arrival of Legendary Pokémon.

After the initial decline in popularity of Pokémon go, there were a couple of updates that caused small resurgences of the larger player base. One such update was the addition of gen 2 Pokémon, which added dozens of new creatures for fans to try and capture and add to their Pokedex. The latest major update to the game was the addition of raid battles, which allowed players to gather in groups of up to 20 in order to battle strong Pokémon, ranging from common to very rare. This mechanic has provided the game with its latest resurgence and newfound depth. More than that, however, this addition of raid battles actually paved the way for today’s huge announcement about the arrival of Legendary Pokémon, as it appears these Pokémon will only be available for capture via very special raid battles.

Fans have been clamoring for the arrival of Legendary Pokémon such as Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres ever since the game’s launch. During Pokémon Go’s very first reveal trailer, an epic battle between hundreds of players and Mewtwo was shown. This trailer, and that epic battle, set the standard for what was expected from Pokémon Go, but it never came. When raid battles arrived, a shimmer of hope was shown, as players were finally able to battle together against one Pokémon in hopes of defeating and capturing it as a group. While this was a step in the right direction, there was still no sign of Legendary Pokémon. That is exactly why today’s announcement is such a big deal. It is finally fulfilling a promise of a game mechanic that Niantic promised fans over 1 year ago.

Legendary raid battle promised in the original reveal trailer way back in September 2015

Legendary raid battles reconfirmed for July 2017

The way that Niantic is rolling out Legendary Pokémon is actually incredibly interesting and wholly unique. On July 22^nd, the world’s first Pokémon Go fest will be held at Chicago’s Grant Park. This is an event where thousands of Pokémon fans, who bought tickets for the event, will gather together for a day filled with battling and capturing Pokémon. There are incentives in place for fans at the event and around the world to capture as many Pokémon as possible, because if a goal is reached, then the very first Legendary Pokémon will spawn for event goers at Grant Park. If the Players at Pokémon Go Fest manage to defeat their Legendary Pokémon, then that Pokémon will begin to spawn in raid battles for nonevent goers all around the world. While this requirement to unlock Legendary Pokémon is almost guaranteed to be reached, it’s still a very unique way to get players everywhere involved and reinvested with Pokémon Go.

One year after the launch of the global phenomenon that was Pokémon Go, we are still getting new and exciting information about the mobile app that has fans all around the globe buzzing. This is just a testament to the impact that Niantic’s app has had, and to the Pokémon franchise in general. While not the mainstream hit that it once was, Pokémon Go is still captivating fans and gamers alike with its continued evolution. The news of the release of Legendary Pokémon already has the internet buzzing and is sure to start another resurgence for the mobile app that will bring many lapsed Pokémon Trainers back out into the wild for another epic summer of Pokémon Go. Keep an eye out for more news pertaining to Legendary Pokémon, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Go fest, and happy hunting!

Images courtesy of the Pokemon and Pokemon Go YouTube channels