'Pokémon Go': New Pokémon and PokéStops Rumored for Gen 4

Pokémon players are used to random encounters in the game, but a random encounter in real life has some trainers excited for the future of Pokémon GO.

On Saturday, Twitter user @PokemonDoctorYT found himself sitting next to Niantic CEO John Hanke on a flight. The head of the Pokémon GO development studio allegedly provided insight of what’s coming to the game that was relayed by another Twitter user, @ReversalYouTube. Some of the changes rumored to happen to the game include the addition of Generation 4 Pokémon, a level cap increase, and PokéStops submissions.

Generation 4 Pokémon made their appearance in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl released on the Nintendo DS. This particular generation is notable for including Legendary Pokémon such as Dialga, Palkia, and the Pokémon god, Arceus, considered to be the creator of the universe.

Submissions for PokéStops have been a long-desired feature for Pokémon GO players. PokéStops are locations such as stores, buildings, and other points of interest that players can go to get free items and complete Field Research tasks. Depending on where a person lives, these places can be across the street or miles away so the option to submit new locations has been suggested since day one. The Silph Road reported Wednesday that the metadata from the latest Pokémon GO update included the addition of uploading photos, which signaled the possibility of the submission feature coming to the game.

Other changes rumored to be in the works are updates to the maps for easier raiding, working to fight cheaters that fake their GPS locations called “spoofing,” and the upcoming second year anniversary, GO Fest 2. These features, however, are still rumors as Niantic has yet to confirm them.

This past Earth Day was a big day for Pokémon GO trainers. They came out in droves for Niantic’s Earth Day Cleanup events across the globe and were handsomely rewarded by the developer with extra Stardust for catching certain Pokémon.