As we inch ever closer to the end of May, the excitement level for the next big Pokemon Go update has reached a fever pitch. Niantic has yet to make a definitive announcement about the long-awaited update, but in an interview with Brazil’s Globo, VP of Strategic Partnerships Mathieu de Fayet seemed to confirm the three major features that will be added to the game this summer.
About halfway through the interview, the interviewer noted that Pokemon Go’s engagement has fallen precipitously since the game launched last summer. When asked how the company planned to maintain interest in the game going forward, de Fayet gave the following answer:
Because of the great success, we had to postpone some news that was planned. Now, we are working on some news for next summer (Northern Hemisphere), how to give more value to team choice, the release of Legendary Pokémon and battles between players. One thing we learned from “Ingress” is that the game holds if we are able to create social interactions between players, and we are working on it.
[It’s worth noting that “next summer” almost certainly means “this summer” in the quote above.]
If we’re reading the translated quote correctly, it sounds like not only are players going to see the first Legendary Pokemon in-game this summer, but that Niantic is also going to make your team alignment more significant and give players more opportunities to interact with one another. This could be through the rumored gym overhaul, PvP battles or even trading (though we’d put our money on gyms).
No word yet from any of Niantic’s official channels, but we’re keeping our eyes peeled for more news.
