Exciting news has arrived for Pokémon GO, in what seems to finally be a timely respite from the onslaught of Pokémon Sun and Moon coverage after the mainline titles were released Nov. 18.
There may soon be a reason to jump back in to Pokémon GO, as the app may soon spew shiny Pokémon encounters in the future, according to a laundry list of purported changes to version 0.47.1 of the app, also pulling a number of exciting changes into the fore.
Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon GO
Most Pokémon players have a vehement proclivity for finding and trophying Shiny Pokémon. While these types of Pokémon aren't particularly blessed with special stats, they do sport unique color schemes and are extremely difficult to stumble upon, making them extremely attractive to possess.
Some Pokémon Sun and Moon players are already soft-resetting their games in order to get a shiny starter, and it's not hard to imagine that Pokémon GO players would mirror the same trajectory, combing the game for a shiny encounter.
According to The Silph Road, the new APK contains a decent amount of code that segregates Pokémon materials into "default and "shiny." For non-gaming development folks, materials dictate how surfaces appear, and a new "shiny" material might denote that tinted versions of Pokémon are in the pipeline.
Of course, everyone should take this with a grain of salt especially since The Silph Road wasn't able to find actual shiny sprites in any part of the game. But if shiny Pokémon are indeed slated to litter across Pokémon GO, this stands as a surefire way of recapturing players who have abandoned the app altogether, since shiny Pokémon are such esteemed status symbols in the Pokémon vocabulary. This, alongside new Pokémon references from the second generation, should be ample opportunity to reinvigorate the game once more.
Ditto's Arrival
Shape-shifting and breeding-slave Ditto is also expected to finally make an appearance in the app. The APK seems to suggest that Ditto will be discoverable in the wild and eligible for battling. Sound files corresponding to Ditto's presence are also present alongside a new background graphic for the Pokémon. A small graphical element - a spotlight - has also been spotted for Ditto, which may indicate a different appearance on the map or somewhere else.
It's entirely possible that Ditto might already be available in the app, but the update ensures that players can encounter Ditto properly.
Tweaks To The Nearby Tracker
There might also be a new tweak to the nearby tracker, which Niantic is currently testing in San Francisco, Arizona and Seattle. The new code suggests that the nearby tracker will prompt the Sightings radar to be minimized when a minimum number of Pokémon is detected.
It's still unclear what this minimum number is exactly, but the code appears to be able to tinker with this parameter, according to The Silph Road.
Could shiny Pokémon be the secret John Hanke, Niantic's chief executive, was hinting at? Possibly. But we'll know more when the company hands out official word.
Are you looking forward to Niantic's purported changes in version 0.47.1 of Pokémon GO? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
