‘Pokemon GO’ Gen 2 Update Might Roll Out January 2017 Instead, And It Will Be Perfect

By now, it is no secret that Pokemon GO would soon debut 100 new Generation 2 monsters. After avid PoGO aficionados were able to find references to the next 100 monsters in the codes of the augmented reality game’s latest update, the only question that remained was when the official rollout of the next generation of pocket monsters would be. With the codes already in the game, numerous reports have emerged that a Gen 2 rollout might very well happen within the next couple of weeks.

The idea of a Pokemon GO Gen 2 reveal within the next few weeks largely stemmed from rumors and leaks pointing to a massive December update that Niantic is allegedly preparing. However, even if the idea of 100 new Pokemon being introduced to the game is very interesting, and even if a massive update were indeed to be rolled out within the next few weeks, there is a good chance that Gen 2 monsters would debut not in December, but in January 2017 instead.

The reasons behind this could be found in Niantic’s previous decisions and strategies regarding the updates in the mobile title. The last few months proved that the developer is up to the task of improving and updating Pokemon GO on a regular basis. Apart from this, however, Niantic has also all but proven that it has a tendency to roll out important features of the game little by little. For example, notable features such as the Buddy System, which improved the game greatly, were sandwiched between two largely incremental patches.

The official rollout of Ditto, the last regular Pokemon from Generation 1 to be introduced to the game, happened very recently. With Ditto in the game, the only Gen 1 creatures left would be the six original legendary creatures, Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, Mew and Mewtwo. With this in mind, it appears a bit out of character for Niantic to roll out the next 100 Generation 2 monsters into the game without completing the Gen 1 creatures first. After all, there are a number of things that Niantic has to tick off before a successful Pokemon GO Gen 2 rollout can happen.

While it’s true that the next 100 Pokemon are already in the codes of the game, other features, such as a trading system and legendary creatures have also been spotted previously in the mobile title’s codes. About three months ago, data mining activities by avid Pokemon GO players found references to a full-fledged trading system and a unique means of catching legendary Pokemon. These features, while already in the game’s codes for the last three months, have yet to see an official rollout. With this in mind, the chances of Niantic releasing Generation 2 monsters this December becomes rather slim.

Considering that Pokemon GO has been seeing the number of its active players steadily decrease over the last few months, it is completely understandable that Niantic appears to be in the process of implementing ways to drive users back to the game. Taking the features that have been found in the game’s codes into consideration, there is a possibility that Pokemon GO would most likely introduce an active trading system on the upcoming and allegedly massive December update, followed by a grand, real-time event to capture the Gen 1 legendary Pokemon during the holiday season. This would no doubt spark new interest in the game, as the notion of unique raids attempting to defeat and capture monsters like Mewtwo would no doubt set the PoGO community on fire. After all, there is hardly a better way to end 2016 than launching a worldwide hunt for the rarest Gen 1 Pokemon.

As for the Generation 2, it would be beneficial for Niantic to roll out the new creatures come January 2017. If Niantic does roll out Pokemon trading on the December update, followed by a legendary hunting event from Christmas to New Year’s Day, there is a good chance that even players who have not touched the Pokemon GO app for months would be interested to play the game once more. Couple this with Niantic’s usual XP and Stardust bonuses and the incentives to play PoGO again would no doubt be compelling enough to lure back gamers.

Pokemon GO debuted a few months ago as a worldwide phenomenon, gaining hundreds of millions of players across the world. As the months went by and as the game’s flaws became more apparent, however, the number of dedicated Pokemon GO players began to steadily decline. Despite this, Niantic’s augmented reality title has stayed fairly strong and consistent, becoming one of the most successful games to ever be launched on a mobile platform.

With new features such as trading, legendary Pokemon and the upcoming Gen 2 rollout, Pokemon GO would most likely become the world’s undisputed top mobile game. For this to happen, however, the upcoming December update, as well as the special events that would most likely follow, would have to be on point. Avid Pokemon GO players can only hope that Niantic is up to the task.

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