The 3 most requested features in Pokemon Go are coming 'soon,' Niantic confirms
Since it was released last summer, "Pokémon Go" has become a cultural phenomenon and generated an estimated $1 billion for the game's creator, Niantic Labs.
But early server issues, a string of buggy updates, and the delay of promised new features have since caused "Pokémon Go" to sink down the App Store's charts.
Niantic has managed to stoke renewed interest in the game with holiday promotions, but its core fans are still waiting on two big features: Pokémon trading and player vs. player battles.
Luckily, Niantic CEO John Hanke confirmed that both features are indeed "going to be done soon" in a recent interview with Waypoint. Hanke revealed that creature trading and player-to-player battles would have already been released if it weren't for the game's early server strains.
An excerpt from Waypoint's interview with Hanke:
Hanke also confirmed that Niantic still plans to do host real-world events that correlate with the game, which means that players will eventually be able to catch ultra-rare Pokémon like Mewtwo and the three 'Legendary' birds. "Pokémon Go" recently unleashed several new creatures from the second generation of the original Pokémon game, but there are dozens that still haven't been put into the wild.