Remember back when Pokemon GO was literally the most popular thing on the planet? It seems like decades ago, what with this unrelenting news cycle, but realistically speaking it was just one summer ago that Niantic's mobile app was all the rage for gamers and novices alike, becoming an international obsession. Since then, the popularity of the game has ebbed considerably but, with some new updates that they're about to roll out, the app's producers are hoping to rekindle some of the fire they helped to build in 2016.
Announced on the company’s Pokémon Go blog, the first major change will be the creation of a dynamic weather system. This will supposedly be geo-specific, meaning that, if it's raining or snowing in real life, those changes will be reflected in the game. This will also affect what types of Pokemon are available to be caught at a given time and, more interestingly, how easy they are to nab. “Rain or shine, winter or spring, your gameplay experience will remain fresh, making your time outdoors even more exciting,” the blog explains.
The biggest change might be that Hoenn-region Pokémon will be part of the gameplay and have the potential to be caught by users starting as early as the end of this week. Over the next couple of weeks, additional Hoenn Pokémon will make their debuts in the app, eventually adding up to 50 new creatures that will hail mostly from the worlds that gamers infiltrated in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.
Pokemon GO recently celebrated their 1-year anniversary in July.