Pokemon Go Announces First Live Event & Solstice Celebration

In case fans have forgotten, it's almost been a year since smartphones and streets were taken over by Pokemon Go and its players. The game was released last July in what was a trickle rollout, but otherwise, developer Niantic Labs is acknowledging July as the month for its first-year anniversary.

To celebrate the occasion, Niantic announced via the official website that there are two main events coming to make July a memorable—and hopefully, Pokemon Go-laden fest like the good ol' days:

"We're celebrating two amazing milestones—Pokemon Go's one-year anniversary and 750 million global downloads—and you're invited to join in on the fun! Over the next few months, we're hosting real-world and in-game events planned alongside some very exciting new features that will get you outside exploring the world with family and friends."

The first event has been teased for a while now thanks to leaks. Dubbed the Solstice Event, this will feature the Fire and Ice-type ‘mons, alongside huge XP bonuses for accurate Poke Ball throws, and discounted Lucky Eggs.

There's also the first-ever real-world Pokemon Go event set to take place in Chicago at the Grant Park on July 22. Tickets will start selling on June 19, so those who are in the area and are looking to join the fun may want to mark their calendars. In Japan, there will also be a Pikachu Outbreak in Yokohama Japan this August, though details for that will be announced at a later date.

Apart from events, the announcement also touched on a future update. The only clue given is that soon after the Solstice Event, Pokemon Go players can look forward to Gyms being temporarily disabled for a short period of time to prepare for new features. These features were described to be "collaborative group gameplay features" that will hopefully kickstart another fad for the game.

I'm more excited about that latter announcement, as Pokemon Go has become the same old for the longer period of time since its release. Maybe this time, new substantial features will actually get us playing again.

Read:Pokemon Go will become more realistic on iOS.

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