Pokemon Go's New Features Detailed, Here's What's Coming
Niantic Labs lays out its plans for the future.
One of the core elements of Pokemon games--trading--is currently missing from the newly launched mobile game, Pokemon Go. Fans may be happy to learn that the CEO of the game's developer has now confirmed a trading feature will be introduced through a future update.
"It's kind of a core element," Niantic Labs' John Hanke told Business Insider.
Unfortunately, Hanke did not share any specifics about how trading would work or when the update that adds it will arrive. He did, however, say trading is a logical extension of Pokemon Go's themes, as it encourages players to come together--in the real world or the virtual one.
Hanke also teased that other new features will include improvements to Poke Stops and Gyms, which the CEO said are now only their "very most basic versions." The new update will allow players to "customize their functions in other ways."
Another new feature coming is a global leaderboard system that ranks the world's best Pokemon Go players. Users can also look forward to improvements to the game's augmented reality system to make Pokemon look better when blended into the real world.
Finally, Hanke suggested that Niantic Labs might bring Pokemon Go to dedicated AR devices. "That may be a fun thing to take advantage of," he said.
One of the biggest AR devices coming out is Microsoft's HoloLens, though it still sounds like relatively early days for that device.
Pokemon Go launched this month for iOS and Android devices in the US. The game's international rollout has been "paused" as Niantic Labs addresses the server issues.
In other news about the game, a woman reportedly found a dead body while playing Pokemon Go, while police say armed robbers targeted people using the game.
For lots more on Pokemon Go, check out GameSpot's roundup of everything you need to know. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on Pokemon Go.
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