'Pokémon GO' News: Niantic Adds 50 New Pokémon and New Realistic Weather System
"Pokémon GO" developer Niantic unveiled 50 new Pokémon as well as a realistic weather system in the game's latest update.
In a statement announcing the game update, Niantic confirmed that a number of Pokémon featured in "Pokémon Ruby" and "Sapphire" have also been added to the augmented reality mobile game, including Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip and more.
Meanwhile, the mobile game developer promised to add more monsters in the coming weeks.
Apart from the addition of 50 Pokémon to the mobile game, Niantic also confirmed the arrival of a new weather system that would affect how Trainers played "Pokémon GO."
"You'll want to start paying even closer attention to your local weather patterns, Trainers. In addition to the in-game map being updated with cool new weather visuals, weather near you will impact Pokémon in a variety of ways," Niantic said.
As an example, Niantic explained that Trainers will have more chances of finding water-type Pokémon like Mudkip when it is raining.
Apart from the changes in the frequency of a Pokémon' presence, the actual weather condition in a certain area will also influence the effectiveness of certain types of attacks.
"So a Charizard's Fire Spin will perform better on sunny days, for example," Niantic further explained.
In the same announcement, Niantic shared six gameplay screenshots of how "Pokémon GO's" game screen would look like in different weather types.
A noticeably clear sky is shown when it is sunny, while variations in cloud density can be observed when it is foggy, partly cloudy, and windy. Meanwhile, rainy and snowy days will make the game screen appear with darker surroundings. Obviously, rainy days will feature rain drops and much darker skies, while a slightly brighter environment can be seen when it is snowy outside.
In an interview with Polygon, Niantic global marketing lead Archit Bhargava said: "When we talked about the game in the early days, we always thought of this as a real-world game."
He added, "Ultimately, the addition of weather makes the game even more real."
