Recently, Niantic despite the ongoing craze of Pokémon Go since 2016 has faced a slump in its workforce. In that, the developer was met with a mass layoff in California as its Los Angeles team was shutdown with 230 employees out of a job. Additionally, this also included the closure of NBA All-World and the upcoming Marvel World of Heroes title as well.
However, elsewhere the team is busy with more work on other properties. For one, the team announced a new collaboration with Capcom to ship Monster Hunter Now. The game plays in similar fashion to Pokémon Go, but with actual monsters from the series to fight. In a recent update Niantic & Capcom confirmed that Monster Hunter Now is prepared to launch in September next month.
In a separate announcement recently, Niantic announces new player-created ‘Routes’ are coming to Pokémon Go. You can watch the brief trailer in the video below:
“Explore the globe with the Pokémon GO community as your guide! Chart a course to show off your favorite sights, or follow in the footsteps of local Trainers to see what that community loves. Routes are created by adventurous Trainers, just like yourself! Imagine what you’ll find as you travel another Trainer’s Route—an encounter with your favorite Pokémon? A new friend to share Raid Battles with? Follow a Route and find out!” Niantic writes.
Noted, Routes is out now for players to engage in pre-set from Niantic. But the developer plans to roll out player-generated route tool in a later update. “While all Trainers can explore Routes right now, Route creation is still being rolled out,” Niantic adds. The developer also hints at new ‘Zygarde Cells’ that can be obtained from the new Routes feature.
“Fun isn’t the only thing you can find on Routes. What new curiosities will you discover on your next Route adventure? […] Keep an eye out while you’re exploring a Route—you might come across a Zygarde Cell! Zygarde Cells are the components that make up Zygarde, the Order Pokémon. You can collect Zygarde Cells in your Zygarde Cube and use these cells to change Zygarde’s form.”
What has you most excited for the new Routes in Pokémon Go?
Pokémon Go is out now for Android & iOS.
Source: Niantic
