In October, Pokemon GO introduced battles against ultra-large Gigantamax Pokemon, an extension of the Dynamax feature added earlier in the year. Pokemon GO players celebrated the feature’s launch by battling Gigantamax versions of Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise, and then got spooky with a Halloween event featuring Gigantamax Gengar. Following the event’s launch and careful consideration of player feedback, the team at Niantic will be implementing changes to the Gigantamax feature going forward.
Game Rant spoke to Michael Steranka, the senior director of Pokemon GO, about what changes will be implemented for future Gigantamax events. He also promised that Niantic has many exciting Gigantamax events planned for the future and that players can definitely expect to see more Gigantamax Pokemon becoming available to battle and catch.
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Gigantamax Came From Galar To Pokemon GO
Gigantamaxing is a feature added in Pokemon Sword and Shield, the eighth-generation Pokemon games. While the Dynamax feature implemented in the Galar region allowed any Pokemon to grow to a large size, Gigantamaxing was unique to a handful of Pokemon. These Pokemon gained a new appearance and a powerful G-Max Move. Pokemon capable of Gigantamaxing include Galar’s starter trio, Gen 1 favorites like Pikachu and Eevee, and Melmetal, a Pokemon introduced for the first time in Pokemon GO.
Gigantamax Battle Rewards And Catch Rates Will Improve
In Pokemon GO, up to 40 players are able to team up and battle a Gigantamax Pokemon at a Power Spot. If the battle is won, players have a chance to catch the Gigantamax Pokemon and add it to their team. These are the most difficult battles Pokemon GO has added so far, described by Steranka as “a new endgame challenge.” To reflect that, Niantic will be increasing the rewards for conquering a Gigantamax foe. Steranka said:
“One adjustment we already made was to improve the rewards from defeating Gigantamax Pokemon, in addition to the catch rate. We want the feat of overcoming these challenges to feel rewarding for players, and we also want to ensure that Gigantamax battles provide a nice counter-balance to the resources required to power up your Pokemon to defeat them.”
After the adjustment, Steranka revealed, Gigantamax battles will be the best source for Stardust and XL Candy in Pokemon Go. These resources are used to power up Pokemon and their moves, meaning that players who take on Gigantamax Pokemon will likely have spent a significant amount to make their own Pokemon strong enough. Rewarding players with more currency and items will help them increase their power levels so that they will be able to fight and win against even more Gigantamax foes.
More Gigantamax Battles Are Coming In The Future
So far, Gigantamax Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise, and Gengar have made their debut in Pokemon GO. Steranka confirmed that even more Gigantamax Pokemon will be making their way to the game very soon and couldn’t reveal anything beyond that, but he did say he’s looking forward to the implementation of his personal favorite Pokemon, Machamp, which gains immense strength and glowing eyes and arms when it reaches its maximum power.
Steranka encourages Pokemon GO players to work together to tackle the new Gigantamax challenges coming in the future and hinted that there may be more changes coming in addition to the increased catch rate and reward drops. He also said that the Niantic team is extremely proud of the players for coming together to take on these epic-level challenges. “Our Trainers are incredibly smart and resourceful,” he enthused, and he’s excited to see them tackle the upcoming and future Gigantamax events in Pokemon GO.
- Released
- July 6, 2016
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- ESRB
- e
- Platforms
- ios, andriod
- Engine
- Unity
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- n/a
- X|S Optimized
- n/a
- Cross Save
- yes
- Cross-Platform Play
- ios, andriod