It was the news that Pokémon Go players had long been waiting for – Niantic Labs, developer of the popular augmented reality game, announced on Wednesday that over 80 second-generation Pokémon will be appearing in the game this week.
These Pokémon can be found in Johto region of Pokémon Gold and Silver video games – regarded by many fans as the best in the franchise. New encounter mechanics (like Poke Ball and Berry selection carousels in the encounter screen), two new Berries, a new avatar outfit and accessory options, a new night-mode map and encounter music and much more.
The new update — which you can currently find in the App Store — follows a smaller earlier one with increased customization options. In addition to brand-new evolutionary chains, the update also unlocks new evolved forms of Pokémon that were originally introduced in Generation 1, like Onix’s final form Steelix, or the “Eeveelutions” Espeon and Umbreon.
The update also boasts gender-specific looks for existing Pokémon (a feature that the main games didn’t introduce until well after Generation 2), new items, encounter methods, and bonus candies when users catch evolved Pokémon.
“Today is a momentous occasion for our team here at Niantic which has been hard at work to deliver these additional Pokémon and build upon the encounter and capture mechanics for our passionate global community of trainers,” said Niantic CEO John Hanke in a statement.
Pokémon Go recently passed the one billion dollar milestone, which shows that despite not being the hot new release it was back in the summer of 2016, it’s still incredibly popular. Introducing a ton of new content alongside second generation Pokémon is likely to bring a lot of players back, too.
Click here to download Pokemon GO in the App Store.
