‘Pokémon GO’ Gets A Buddy System In Forthcoming Update!

Briefly: Now that months have gone by, and controversy has (mostly) passed, Pokémon GO players have forgotten about the beloved, server crashing 3-step tracker, nearly forgiven Niantic for the dreaded, miscommunicated, poorly handled 3-step bug, and are just back to good old catchin’ ‘Mons in their spare time.

The craze certainly hasn’t died down (at least in Vancouver) as most individuals that pass me by still tend to be swiping up instead of left or right, and I’m still seeing nearly every gym change ownership about every four seconds. I’m still loving the game, so this is obviously some great news.

In even better news, Niantic is starting to figure out this whole communication thing, and today announced the first major feature update for Pokémon GO, which will allow trainers to have their favourite Pokémon appear next to them on the avatar screen, along with a few other neat changes.

Here’s what’s in store, straight from Niantic: “You will be able to pick your favorite Pokémon from your collection to become your buddy, opening up unique in-game rewards and experiences. Buddy Pokémon will appear alongside your Trainer avatar on your profile screen, adding helpful bonuses such as awarding Candy for walking together. You’ll also have the ability to change your Buddy Pokémon at any time.”

Gaining specific candy for walking with your Pokémon is a fantastic idea. I can’t wait to finally evolve some of the Pokémon that I caught in California this Summer and have never seen since.

Now… when the hell are we going to start seeing those legendary birds?