When it first launched, Pokemon Go tapped into the most basic idea behind the Pokemon franchise: collecting things. And indeed, wandering around town, capturing random monsters was fun, but it was missing something. The whole reason most Pokemon masters caught the creatures in the first place -- to fight each other.
That's about to change. On Twitter today, Niantic announced that "trainer battles" would be coming . That is to say, Pokemon Go is finally getting a PVP mode.
Get prepared... Trainer Battles are coming soon to Pokémon GO❗ #GOBattle pic.twitter.com/AUWyhNGlT7
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) November 30, 2018
The tweets didn't go into detail about how the new trainer battle system would work, but the response has been positive: multiplayer Pokemon battles have long been one of the game's most requested features.
🔥LETS GO 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2zdvjERuVq
— Pkmn Master Holly (@PkmnMasterHolly) November 30, 2018
It was worth it waiting 2 Years and 5 Months for this iconic moment, I'm beyond excited to finally have PvP coming to Pokémon GO!
— REVERSAL (@REVERSALYOUTUBE) November 30, 2018
The fact that it took almost 2.5 years is reason enough to assume it'll be more than just tap & swipe fest, but no expectations!
Although some players have concerns about how the multiplayer system will work.
Do I have to stand and wait for people to walk directly in front of me
— TAHK0 ☕️ (@TAHK0) November 30, 2018
— Spark (@Spark_PoGoLead) November 30, 2018
I’m ready for another broken battling system that crashes my game, beta launch coming soon, full working battling system after bug fixes eta 2021 pic.twitter.com/zkrMY6Dza7
— LuckyBunz (@LuckyBunz) November 30, 2018
Either way, players are getting their favorite color text and battle outfits ready.
— Brandon Klomp (@BK_your_way) November 30, 2018
Are you excited for Pokemon Go multiplayer battles? Let us know what you think in the comments below!