Pokémon Go has achieved an unbelievable milestone.
Today, Nintendo announced via a short video that the mobile title has surpassed 1 billion total downloads since launch in 2016. To put that eye-watering figure into perspective, it means more than 10% of Earth’s entire population has spent at least a few minutes lobbing Poké Balls at digital creatures in an effort to Catch ‘Em all. Well, theoretically that’s the case, at least. In reality, a good chunk of that figure likely belongs to spoof accounts or lapsed Trainers who perhaps forgot their original details.
Ultimately, it matters little. The conclusion is the same – Pokémon Go is absurdly popular and successful. Good news for all involved, then, but especially so for Niantic. The developer, despite receiving flak around launch for its slow approach to delivering new content, has since hit its stride in regularly providing Trainers with new and exciting ways to play. This year, in particular, has been hugely eventful for the community-driven adventure, what with an endless number of events arriving on a near-weekly basis.
Beyond that, last week marked the introduction of perhaps the title’s largest update to date in the form of Shadow Pokémon. These ghoulish perversions of ordinary ‘Mons are the result of Team Rocket’s influence and can be caught as a reward for ousting its villainous number from Rocket-controlled PokéStops. That event is currently ongoing and will soon be joined by another limited-time occasion in the form of an extremely rare Legendary Pokémon.
Oh. We almost forgot. ?
If you’re lucky…you may encounter a Shiny Rayquaza!!!
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May the winds of fortune blow in your favor, Trainer. pic.twitter.com/iDN2sldskG— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 29, 2019
The ancient and powerful Rayquaza is scheduled to start showing up in five-star Pokémon Go Raid battles from today until September 2nd and will likely put even the most battle-hardened Trainer to the test. Those lucky few for who the stars align will even be in with the chance to encounter and catch an extremely rare shiny variant of the beast, so cross those fingers tighter than ever before.
You’ve got a better chance of winning the lottery, but we wish you the best of luck, nonetheless!
