Pokémon GO is about to get a lot more similar to the core RPG games. More multiplayers are coming, and that's an official word directly from The Pokémon Company this time.
Part of the allure of core Pokémon games is their inherent multiplayer aspects. While single-player is more than enough for many, features that connect one to other trainers — trading, Wi-Fi battles, and such — enrich the overall experience. This is why all core Pokémon games are always released on handhelds, because Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company want to convince players to meet other real-world trainers.
Pokémon GO is perhaps the epitome of that principle. It is literally played by moving around different areas and locales. In fact, the game caused several mobs in different cities at the height of its craze. That's how effective it is as a game meant to get one trekking around, and it's about to get better.
Trading And Battling Will Come Soon To 'Pokémon GO'
In an interview with Bloomberg this week, Pokémon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara hinted that trading and battling Pokémon with other players on Pokémon GO will soon be possible. He even said the goal is to make Pokémon GO closer to the experience offered by its core RPG counterparts.
"We've only accomplished 10 percent of what Pokémon and Niantic are trying to do, so going forward we will have to include fundamental Pokémon experiences such as Pokémon trading and peer-to-peer battles, and other possibilities," said Ishihara.
How Will Trading In 'Pokémon GO' Work?
This isn't the first time players are being promised trading, however. Such a feature had actually been shown in the game's very first trailer and mentioned in several interviews around its launch. But Niantic has been tight-lipped about it since, focusing instead on incremental updates such as Raid battles, Legendary Pokémon, and others.
As to how trading will work, Pokémon GO product manager Tatsuo Nomura said in March that it would have to take place in person with players nearby. On the mainline games, it's possible to trade over Wi-Fi across different countries.
At present, only gym and occasional Raid battles serve as the game's multiplayer elements. Player-vs-player battles and trading are two of the most significant aspects of any Pokémon title, and it's only logical for both to come to Pokémon GO, which still hits 5 million daily users as of July.
Thrilled for trading with and battling other trainers in Pokémon GO? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
