'Pokemon GO' Spring Co-op Game Mode, Summer Event and More
A co-op game mode is on its way this spring for "Pokémon GO," while there are also speculations that suggest trainers can expect a Legendary Pokémon in a summer event.
The folks at "Pokémon GO" developer Niantic (Japan) have recently teased that a summer event is set to arrive. Asia General Manager Yoshiji Kawashima and Asian General Marketing Manager Kenji Suka have confirmed the news via a K-Tai Watch interview.
In the interview, Kawashima announced: "I hope you are looking forward to this huge event this summer. Please look forward to it. Engineers are working hard now so that new functions can be implemented."
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While the Niantic Labs execs did not divulge specific information about the summer event, some reports say this could be a "Legendary" event.
Meanwhile, the "Pokémon GO" dedicated news outlet Pokémon GO Hub has provided a summary of Niantic's Japanese-language interview and says the addition of raids to the game mechanics is one of the event's widely rumored features.
Niantic also confirmed that co-op gaming is going live sometime in spring. There are speculations that the addition of co-op gaming will arrive as an update to the Gym battles. Meanwhile, trading was also mentioned in the interview and is another feature that is currently being developed.
And while "Pokémon GO" trainers have already experienced the Water Festival event that gave them the chance to catch a shiny Magikarp, Niantic also plans to have similar festivals and events all throughout the year.
On the other hand, Niantic is also considering creating more localized events in partnership with various government agencies, something that they have started last year. For example, in October to November 2016, the company intended to have more Lapras appear in Japan's Tohoku region. The move was Niantic's way of helping the area gather more tourists since it was affected by tsunamis and earthquakes in March 2011.
In line with that, local governments of other Japan earthquake-stricken regions such as Miyagi, Iwate, Kumamoto and Fukushima have also announced last year that they are going to be working with Niantic on how to maximize "Pokémon GO's" popularity to boost tourism.
