'Pokémon GO' Legendary Update Confirmed for 2017, Trading Feature to Have Restrictions?
Niantic Labs promised "Pokémon GO" players a trading system in its hit augmented reality game. Unfortunately, this feature is still nowhere to be found.
The developer has been rolling out updates for the game, but there remains no trace of the feature. It turns out that Niantic is taking its "sweet time."
This is what Niantic technical artist and designer David Hollin revealed via Game Rant during an Origins of Pokémon GO panel.
Although it does not look like the trading feature is coming to the game soon, he assured that the studio is hard at work on putting it together.
Hollin also provided details on how the trading system will work in "Pokémon GO." According to him, Niantic is finding ways to make sure that the new feature will not be exploited.
The designer believes that trading will work much better if it functioned the way it did during the Gameboy days, where two players next to each other are the ones allowed to trade.
This restriction is being considered to be applied to the trading feature on "Pokémon GO" although nothing is set in stone yet.
Hollin also said that while the battle system in the game "isn't the worst thing in the world," Niantic recognizes it needs some work and is looking to do something about it in the future.
With regard to the Legendary Pokémon release for "Pokémon GO," Niantic CEO John Hanke confirmed in an interview with a German newspaper via Birmingham Mail that it is planned for 2017.
He did not provide any other details about this though although he did talk about a Pokémon GO Plus-type wearable that the company is working on.
"The games that we're building are built for augmented reality. We're going to take advantage of the wearables that exist today while we wait and work with partners to bring to market A.R. glasses and other forms of advanced A.R. technology," he said.
"With Pokemon Go, we're only getting started with the game," he went on to say.