Pokémon GO Fest 2020 has just recently concluded and apart from everything that developer Niantic has shared so far, more details on the upcoming Mega Evolution feature and level cap increase are set to be announced soon. Developer Niantic just hosted its first online-only Pokémon GO Fest last July 25 and 26 wherein they introduced quite a large number of new shiny Pokémon, a special color variant of regular Pokémon, into the game for players to catch during the event.
Niantic previously confirmed the addition of Mega Evolutions into the game while also teasing the addition of the series’ Gen 6 starter Pokémon in a recently released promotional artwork for the game’s 4th anniversary. A level cap increase was also previously discovered by dataminers a few months ago when code pertaining to rewards for players that hit level 41 to level 50, although the amount of XP to reach each new level wasn’t seen.
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In a new Developer Insights video shared by developer Niantic on YouTube, Pokémon GO Senior Product Manager Matthew Slemon talks about some of the features that are coming to the game, including Mega Evolutions and increasing the level cap as well as promising more details on both features coming later this year. In the meantime, Slemon confirms that players’ existing Pokémon will all be eligible to be Mega Evolved.
“One thing I can confirm is that your existing Pokémon today will be the ones that will be Mega Evolved. So the Charizard you got at the very beginning of the game, your first Charmander or the one that you evolved, those are all viable candidates. They can all be Mega Evolved. We’re excited to get that feature out to you and more details soon.”
Slemon also talks about how they plan to implement the planned level cap increase. He says the experience of going beyond level 40 will still require a bit of effort, saying that levels are intended to display how much effort one has put into the game and that it won’t be “as simple as grinding XP through the ways that you might be used to.” He adds that the developers want Pokémon GO to feel like it’s a persistent, evolving world and that the developers plan to not only add new features down the line but also take a look at existing features and how they can be improved.
Pokémon GO became incredibly popular when it came out back in 2016 and while many players have moved on to other games since then (such as the current mainline game Pokémon Sword and Shield), it’s good to see that there’s still a big enough community that has stuck around to support the game that Niantic has continued to release new updates for it, including new Pokémon, new features, and new events. It’ll be exciting to see what Niantic has in store for Pokémon GO with Mega Evolutions, the increased level cap, and beyond.
Source: Pokémon GO