Third-generation Pokemon are set to make a Halloween debut in Pokemon Go after a leaked image of the loading screen revealed the likes of Dusclops and Sableye.
Pokemon Go developer Niantic had previously revealed that it would be having a special Halloween event for its augmented reality mobile game, but it was rather cagey on the details as to what that event would entail.
Last year, the Halloween event saw ‘spooky’ Pokemon like Zubat, Gastly, Haunter and Gengar pop up more regularly as Pokemon Go players made went on their hunts for the digital creatures.
But in the 0.79.2 update for the game, fan community The Silph Road, dug deep into the code behind the update and discovered a loading screen that features third-generation Pokemon that fit the creepy theme of Halloween. Other hints, such as sound files and badges referencing the third-gen Pokemon have also been found.
However, Niantic has kept tight-lipped on any plans to bring new Pokemon to Pokemon Go, and simply hinted that the Halloween event will allow for players to “catch new Pokemon to fill out our Pokedex”.
While some rumours need to be taken with a pinch of salt, Niantic hasn’t come out to pour water over the expectation for third-gen Pokemon. And when snippets of code show the existence of new features, they are often fairly concrete evidence of what is coming next in a game or product.
As such, we’d be pretty surprised if no third-generation Pokemon rear their creepy heads come Halloween.
Related: All you need to know about Pokemon Go
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
