'Pokémon GO' Summer Update: Gyms to Get Major Revamp; Raid Battles to Be Added
Almost a year after its debut and introduction to the gaming world, "Pokémon GO" will be receiving a huge summer update that is meant to make the mobile game even more accessible as well as social.
"Pokémon GO" has been downloaded over 750 million times to date, and there are, on average, 65 million players every month. And so, to keep its gaming community engaged, the studio will be launching two major updates to the game such as the addition of multiplayer Raid Battles and the redesign of the game's Gyms.
According to Trusted Reviews, the upcoming Raid Battles will allow up to 20 trainers to team up and work as one as they fight against rare bosses that will randomly appear at Gyms. Those who succeed in bringing down the boss will get the opportunity to catch a rare Pokémon.
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One of the requirements to engage in Raid Battles is for members of a team to be in the same area before they can take down a boss as a group. This condition is Niantic's effort to bring players together. However, for those who would like to stick with playing within their circle of friends, they have the option of creating private Raids.
Big changes will also be happening to the game's Gyms. For example, they will now serve as Pokéstops as well in an attempt to increase the number of Pokéstops that are available in several rural and suburban locations. With the upgrade, gamers will get the option of spinning a disc at a Gym and earning special items like berries and Pokéballs.
The structure of the Gym will also be changed, and will feature six permanent slots for pocket monsters. Instead of battling them based on strength, players will get to fight against these Pokémon in the order that they have been assigned to the Gym.
The summer update to the "Pokémon GO" mobile game was rolled out for both iOS and Android devices on June 19.
