Quote:Striving to become a Pokémon Master is so 1998. Soon, Trainers will have their sights set on a different goal—becoming a Master Trainer! Here’s how you can earn these coveted titles in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

Quote:A vast new world is waking up around us. Get ready to find Pokémon originally discovered in Sinnoh in Pokémon GO!

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With Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! releasing in just one month from today, and with yet another mainline series entry planned for 2019, players of all playstyles and experience levels will have something to get stuck into in the very near future. Of course, we don't know exactly how 2019's game will play just yet, or indeed how the franchise will evolve in the years to come, but it seems that one heavily requested feature is definitely in the running.

For several years now, our very own articles, as well as online forums, social media posts, and everything in between, have been flooded with fans showing their desire for an "open-world" Pokémon game. The definition of 'open-world' seems to get broader with each passing year, but the likes of Skyrim and the much more recent Zelda: Breath of the Wild perhaps showcase the idea best.

You can likely picture the game in your head, running around in a vast, beautiful world with wild Pokémon and nature interacting with each other as you do so. You could trigger battles by approaching the Pokémon, who would respond to your actions in real time just like a herd of animals might. Whether you think this would make for a good game is up to you, but it's certainly an intriguing suggestion either way. So, could this actually happen?

In a recent interview, Eurogamer put this very question to Game Freak director Junichi Masuda, mentioning games such as Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey as comparative examples. His answer was naturally vague, but the possibility is definitely there.

Quote: "Well you know in general, I always want to be kind of facing new challenges and trying to you know, do new things with Pokémon. You know it's a different matter whether players will actually enjoy that kind of playstyle, but really you know, things like setting up an AI so that you know real world Pokémon appear, or different ways to appreciate the game, I'm always kind of thinking how to approach the Pokémon series from a different aspect so, in that sense, it's still on the cards."

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Would you like to be, in Roppongi, in a Pokémon GO AR Garden, in the shade?

Although I enjoy Pokémon GO as much as your average player, there are two things I have never used: the AR function and the sound. It’s not that they’re bad, I’m just more concerned with not getting hit by a car, and honestly don’t really want to draw any more attention to what I’m doing than necessary.

But now a place has opened where Pokémon enthusiasts may roam about free of judgment and safe from vehicles while enjoying all sounds these wonderful creatures have to offer: Pokémon GO AR Garden will be open from 12 to 21 October in Roppongi Hills’ Mori Garden. To learn more we sent the Russian Roulette Bread loser himself, Takashi Harada.



As you can see, visitors to the garden receive a bunch of special gear. First, everyone plays with a special loaner smartphone attached to parabolic microphone. On the smartphone display, Professor Willow explains that ten Pokémon are roaming the park and you must use your mic to find and identify their calls. However, approach carefully or you may spook them.

Even though the Pokémon GO AR Garden is developed by Niantic this game was in no way connected with Harada’s normal Pokémon GO game. They may work out a way to bridge the two adventures in the future, though.



Players are also given a special earphone that clips onto the outer ear. This allows you to hear both in game sounds as well as ambient noises for a more realistic feel. It’s also a little less skeevey than using earphones that’ve been inside other people’s ears.



Harada walked around the garden with his microphone, searching for the sweet sounds of Pokémon. Once you notice the call of a certain monster, it becomes louder the closer you get. When their cry reaches a certain volume you will then be able to record it, which is essentially like catching the Pokémon.



Harada caught an Exeggutor (Alolan), Snorlax, and Aerodactyl before realizing he could only catch three and the game ends. If you happen to play yourself, you might want to explore a little more and not catch Pokémon right away.



After the hunt, Harada was able to have a little free AR time on the lawn with one of the Pokémon he discovered. “Snorlax, I choose you!” he shouted as he pulled back his arm and dramatically tapped the appropriate icon on the smartphone screen.



The sleepy giant plunked down in front of the Asahi TV building and posed for some cute pictures.

Also in the garden was a special VR section where people could climb the Mori Garden Gym and encounter various Pokémon along the way. There’s a version that corresponds with each team in Pokémon GO and contains a unique surprise depending on which color you choose.



Since the Pokémon GO AR Garden has no influence on the regular Pokémon GO game, it can easily be enjoyed by all kinds of Pokémon fans or by people who want to simply enjoy an innovative augmented and virtual reality attraction.

This is also just one section of a wider Innovation Tokyo 2018 — AR Playground with Niantic event which includes games based on their previous hit Ingress. Best of all, admission is free for most activities. So be sure to head on down to Roppongi Hills before its too late, and answer the call of the Snorlax.

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UPDATE: Pokemon Go developer Niantic has released a second Gen 4 Sinnoh teaser.

As predicted, the latest Pokemon Go teaser points towards the imminent release of Gen 4 starter Pokemon Chimchar.

"As we learn about Pokemon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region, we’re curious to hear about a Pokémon that has a fiery rear end," reads the latest tweet. "Whatever this Fire-type Pokemon is, we’re excited for the opportunity to add it to our Pokedex soon!"

You can see the Chimchar teaser image below.

ORIGINAL: Pokemon Go developer Niantic continues to tease the release of Gen 4 Pocket Monsters from the Sinnoh region.

After confirming plans to release Gen 4 Pokemon soon, Niantic has posted a water-themed teaser on Twitter.

Pointing at the imminent release of Piplup, the teaser references Piplup's ability to dive for over ten minutes to hunt.

"We’re excited to hear reports of a Water-type Pokemon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region that can dive for over 10 minutes to hunt," reads a Niantic tweet.

"Its speed and quick movement definitely lead us to believe that it's a skilled swimmer. Which Pokemon could this be?"

Piplup is one the Gen 4 starter Pokemon, alongside Turtwig and Chimchar.

Fans can expect similar Turtwig and Chimchar teasers in the coming days, as the Gen 4 release date draws ever closer.

The tweet may also suggest that the Gen 4 starter Pokemon could be released first.

Quote:John Hanke, Niantic’s CEO has shared a video on Twitter showcasing Pokemon GO’s AR playground mode in action. The AR playground mode was hinted / announced months ago (see Niantic announces AR Playground: see your Pokémon in the wild!), but was never released to the general audience.

Short reminder: AR Playground mode was part of the ARKit Pokémon GO tech demo and enabled developers to place Pokémon anywhere in the world around them, or better, on any plane around them.

Hanke’s tweet is available below (pay attention to the device, this is running on a Motorola Android device):

Quote: #NianticDay Taking a friend out for a walk in the park @ Roppongi Hills pic.twitter.com/zSdXnlME3H

— John Hanke (@johnhanke) October 13, 2018

Similar to previous AR Playground demos, the model is anchored to a real world plane, it features full set of animations and even responds to touch, similar to how it does on a Pokemon detail page.

The demo was showcased during Niantic’s Pokemon GO AR Garden event, which takes place at Mori Gardens from October 12 to October 21.

In addition to the AR playground demo, another tech demo was presented, using advanced audio capabilities to allow listening to both natural sounds of Mori Gardens and to Pokemon cries in the wild. Crazy, but true.

Quote: #NianticDay audio AR experience pic.twitter.com/GlNjWm9H9U

— John Hanke (@johnhanke) October 13, 2018

Quote:October is here, which means The Pokemon Company is giving away a new pair of Legendary Pokemon for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. We're in the penultimate month of the Year of Legendary Pokemon promotion, and this time around, you'll be able to get your hands on the cover mascots from Pokemon Black and White: Reshiram and Zekrom.

Once again, if you live in the US, you'll need to travel to a specific retailer to pick up a download code for the Legendaries. This time, the code is being distributed in the electronics section of Target stores from October 19-28. Those who live in Europe and Australia, meanwhile, will be able to get the Pokemon without leaving the comfort of their home; the Legendaries are being given out over the Nintendo Network in those regions from October 5-21.

As usual, the Legendaries can be redeemed in any seventh generation Pokemon game on 3DS, but which one you receive depends on the version you're playing. Those with Sun or Ultra Sun will get Zekrom, while players who have Moon or Ultra Moon will get Reshiram. The Pokemon will also come with different levels and movesets depending on your game. You can see all of the details below.

Pokemon Ultra Sun

- Zekrom -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
-- Fusion Bolt
-- Bolt Strike
-- Outrage
-- Stone Edge

Pokemon Sun

- Zekrom -- Level 60
-- Slash
-- Zen Headbutt
-- Fusion Bolt
-- Dragon Claw

Pokemon Ultra Moon

- Reshiram -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
-- Fusion Flare
-- Blue Flare
-- Draco Meteor
-- Earth Power

Pokemon Moon

- Reshiram -- Level 60
-- Slash
-- Extrasensory
-- Fusion Flare
-- Dragon Pulse

You can redeem your download code for the Legendaries using the Mystery Gift feature from the games' main menu. After selecting it, choose the option to receive your gift with a code/password, then input your download code when prompted. If you live in Europe or Australia, you'll need to select the option to receive your gift via the internet. Once that's done, the Pokemon will be downloaded into your game. You'll then need to pick it up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.

Reshiram and Zekrom aren't the only free Pokemon you can get this month; The Pokemon Company is also giving away the Mythical Pokemon Zeraora at GameStop from October 19 - November 19. On top of that, you can still pick up a code for a Shiny Poipole until October 7.

Quote:That thunderclap you just heard in the distance? That’s Zeraora, featured in the Pokémon TCG: Sun & Moon—Lost Thunder expansion and soon to be available for your Pokémon Ultra Sun or Pokémon Ultra Moon game! US Trainers, head to your local GameStop between October 19 and November 9, 2018, to pick up a code to add this mighty Mythical Pokémon to your game.

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Niantic has been on a roll when it comes to new content, with plenty of recent events and Pokemon rewards to enjoy.

It was recently revealed that this has helped push Pokemon Go revenue to new heights, with 1.8 billion the number being thrown around.

That’s after two years of the game being available to download and it doesn’t look like the development team will be wrapping things up anytime soon.

With the summer now over, fans are looking to what could be the next major Pokemon Go event.

And many suspect that it could be Halloween 2018.

This all comes connected to the new Mewtwo Raids, which are set to run until October 23, 2018.

Trainers can currently take on the powerful psychic type in normal raids, having been replaced in the EX Raids by Deoxys.

And fans believe that the timing could mean something big is being planned for Halloween 2018.



Last year’s spooky event included the first Gen 3 Pokemon being released, so it stands to reason that Gen 4 could make their debut in 2018.

The likes of Sableye, Banette, and a few other Ghost-type Pokémon originally discovered in the Hoenn region were the first to make their debut in-game.

This was followed by the rest of the Pokemon first seen in the Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire video games being gradually added in December.

This all remains speculation for the time being, although there have been hints that Pokemon Gen 4 is being worked on by Niantic.

Data miners recently found references to Sinnoh types in the game’s code, a pretty good sign something is coming.

However, since these Sinnoh references were found in the network traffic by data analyst Chrales, it appears it has now been removed.

October isn’t far away so you can bet data miners will be keeping an eye on Pokemon Go network traffic to see if anymore surprise pop up.

There’s a good chance that Niantic will want to finish 2018 with a bang, especially when it comes to keeping their playerbase happy.

Speaking of new content, it appears a fresh shiny is coming to the game very soon.

It has now been announced that Shiny Krabbys and Kinglers are being added to the game, starting early October.

This has come from Niantic backed YouTube, Reversal, who made the announcement earlier this week.

According to the big news drop, the new shiny Pokemon will be available to catch on October 1, from 9pm in the UK.

The special Pokemon will be unlocked via a new Field Research quest, although it’s also expected that they will be found in the wild.

“Niantic’s shared with me that Shiny Krabby/Kingler and the Third Spinda Quest is targeted for release during the Suicune Research Breakthrough Month!

“The only sort of evidence of my credibility I’ve got is that I’m one of the partnered YouTubers with Niantic for Pokémon GO so I figured I’d relay the message here instead of just linking my video here.

“If there’s anything else I’m able to share I’ll keep you guys posted.”

Are you one of the lucky few who will get to challenge Deoxys first in Pokemon Go?

New EX Raid invites have been sent out by Niantic, meaning that new challengers will be grouping up to take on the powerful pocket monster.

From the information posted by the PoGo support team, the first EX Raids featuring Deoxys have been scheduled for the first week of October.

Monday, October 1 and Tuesday, October 2, will be the dates when these first battles take place.

However, Trainers did report some initial confusion following the release of the new invites.

This is down to the fact that the special raid passes said the encounter would be happening later that day.

This is highly unusual, and when players did turn up, no Deoxys raid began.

Instead, a message from Niantic Support confirmed what had happened and when the new EX Raids would be taking place.

“Hi Trainers, if you received an EX Raid Pass at a Gym that currently has an active Raid, the time of your EX Raid will update once that Raid ends,” the Niantic message reads.

“The next EX Raid will take place on either October 1 or 2. Thanks for your patience!”

So no one should have missed out on their big chance to face Deoxys, who looks set to prove a big challenge.

The Psychic-type Mythical Pokémon will be available to challenge in its Normal Form, but that still looks like it will take a good group to beat.

Quote:Nintendo is teasing a Pokemon: Let’s Go event that’s happening soon in Los Angeles, one that involves trucks decorated to represent each version of the game.

The Nintendo of America Twitter account shared a tweet on Friday that said the Pokemon: Let’s Go event would be starting sometime on Saturday morning in Los Angeles. Several images were also shared that showed two different trucks, one geared towards the Pikachu version of the game and the other for the counterpart, Eevee. The front of both of the trucks were shown along with the sides that were all decorated with Pikachu and Eevee images and colors to promote the upcoming Pokemon games.

While Nintendo hasn’t yet revealed what the event will involve, though it shouldn’t be too long before it does so, one of the most likely theories is that the trucks are carrying a mobile version of the games’ demos. Neither edition of Pokemon: Let’s Go is out until November 16th, but Nintendo has offered people more than one chance to play the games ahead of their release. Both versions of the game were among Nintendo’s selection of games it brought to E3 for attendees to demo, a game that people spent hours waiting in line just to play.

Another demo was present during the 2018 Pokemon World Championships where competitive Pokemon players converged in Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in various games. With the demo able to be housed in different events, it’s not a stretch to imagine that Nintendo could also toss the games in their own trucks and take them to Los Angeles for people to play.

Whether this is an impromptu demo experience for people in Los Angeles or part of a larger event overall remains to be seen though as Nintendo hasn’t shared any more information on what to expect from the Pokemon: Let’s Go promotion. More details should be shared at some point on Saturday either leading up to or during the event though to reveal Nintendo has planned for Los Angeles.

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! release for the Nintendo Switch on November 16th.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-...-pass-5392

Quote:Deoxys, like Mewtwo originally, is only available via EX Raids.

These are invite-only Raids, and to participate, you must receive a EX Raid Pass, detailing when and where the special Raid will take place.



he requirements for this has softened since September 2017's beta phase, and now the community has dug into it further we know everything you can do to increase your chances of earning an invite. Your chances are higher if you:

- Have a Gold Gym Badge where an EX Raid could take place
- Have completed a "larger number" of Raid battles
- Have raided at an EX Raid-eligible Gym with 20 or more other players in the last week - more on this below!
- Have a Pokémon Go Friend with an EX Raid Invite - again, more below.

EX Raid battles are also only able to take place in EX Raid-eligible Gyms.

Those are found in two places: parks, and sponsored Gyms. Thankfully, as of Deoxys' introduction you can now check which Gyms are EX Raid eligible in-game, rather than having to do a spot of detective work yourself.

In brief, Niantic uses OpenStreetMap, known as OSM, to define what does and doesn't count as a park. If something's labelled as a Park or Recreation Ground in OSM, then a Gym on that location is EX Raid eligible. All you need to know however is that a Gym is marked as "EX RAID GYM" in the top right corner of the screen when you inspect it in-game. Here's an example:

Quote: Preview of eligible ex raid gym pic.twitter.com/D2NqUQKGCi
— Chrales (@Chrales) September 19, 2018

Once you have a general idea of which Gyms count, your strategy should be levelling their Gym Badge up as high as you can, and then joining big groups of raiders at those locations.

In fact on that point, redditor hurryupthecakes noted that there seems to be a specific number of people raiding a Gym that triggers EX Raid invites for those involved. At the time of writing, according to hurryupthecakes it seems that if 20-25 different accounts join a Raid at an EX-eligible gym within 7 days of each other, it's very likely you'll all get EX Raid invites for that gym.

The idea behind this is to reward players who regularly Raid, and who get involve with their local community.

If and when you receive an invite, it should be around a few days to a week in advance, and at a time that takes into account when the gym is most used. There is a chance EX Raids will be cancelled, and if so, you'll be notified and given Stardust and Premium Raid Passes as compensation.

Having a countdown to the EX Raid starting in theory gives players plenty of time to find the Raid location and co-ordinate with others. This would be useful since Mewtwo, and now Deoxys, are some of the most powerful Pokémon released so far. It might be less true for Deoxys than it has been for Mewtwo (more on that below), but you're probably going to need a bigger group than standard Tier 4 Raids to take them down.

Finally, it's worth noting that with the addition of Deoxys comes the ability to bring a Friend along to the EX Raid with you! We'll update this page when we know exactly how the system works, but in brief, you'll need to be either Ultra Friends or Best Friends with the other player in-game in order to bring them along.

Deoxys isn't out in the wild yet, although it looks like we now at least have a release date - but that doesn't mean we can't infer a few things from what we already know about the Pokémon anyway.

There's no release date mentioned in the official announcement in English - only a note that it's "beginning with the next cycle of EX Raid invitations" - but the Japanese announcement, when translated (via Google), notes that it'll be available from Friday 21st September. Note that that's Japan time though, so players in the US could be seeing it as soon as Thursday 20th, depending on specific timings.

One thing to note about Deoxys is that it is in fact a Mythical Pokémon, not a legendary. That means that, if the same rules apply for as they do for other Mythical Pokémon (like Mew and Celebi), it can't be traded. It could also mean that there might be some kind of quest tied to it - particularly considering its multiple formes - but that's pure speculation for now (and probably quite unlikely).

Otherwise, the most important thing to know about Deoxys is that it has four formes: Attack, Defense, Speed, and Normal. It's not yet clear how that'll play into EX Raids - the official line from Niantic is "This Psychic-type Mythical Pokémon will be available to challenge in its Normal Forme beginning with the next cycle of EX Raid invitations" - which most likely means that it's going to be both battled and caught whilst in Normal Forme for now, with other formes presumably rotating over time, but it's still not entirely clear.

These four formes, unlike the different formes of Pokémon like Castform or Unown, actually have a significant impact on Deoxys' stats. Attack and, thanks to how Pokémon Go converts stats from the main games, Speed formes both give Deoxys huge Attack stat numbers, but very flimsy stats for Defense and Stamina.

Defense boosts its defense - but still leaves Stamina pretty low - and Normal gives it the most rounded set of stats, with Attack still higher than any other Pokémon in the game, including Mewtwo, but still some very flimsy Defense and Stamina stats. Working from the known formula for converting Pokémon's stats from the mainline games to Go, here's how we'd expect each forme to shape up:

Quote:Deoxys Stats
Forme Attack Defense Stamina Max CP
Deoxys 345 115 100 2749
Deoxys-Attack 414 46 100 2244
Deoxys-Defense 144 330 100 1978
Deoxys-Speed 230 218 100 2504

As there doesn't seem to have been any shake-up of the stats formula from Niantic with Deoxys' launch, the main take away from the above is that, regardless of forme, Deoxys is extremely flimsy. In the mainline games it can get away with that, thanks to the importance of speed and the ability to one-hit opposing Pokémon with its huge Attack and Special Attack.

In Pokémon Go of course, Speed is irrelevant, with Pokémon instead duking it out for much more extended battles in most circumstances like Raids or well-defended Gym battles.

That would mean Deoxys will likely struggle - in fact it's so squishy that there's a suggestion it might struggle to charge up a full bar to use a charged attack before getting knocked out. However, what that doesn't account for is the numerous occasions where you'll find yourself wanting to burst down a Gym with weakened - or simply weak - Pokémon defending it.

In that case, Deoxys is an excellent choice. It's huge Attack stat, especially in Normal, Attack, and Speed formes, allows it to burst down weaker Pokémon faster than any other in the game. Pit it against anything that might last more than a few hits, however, and you're probably going to struggle.

Deoxys is a pure Psychic-type Pokémon, meaning it has three weaknesses: Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks, and no double weaknesses.

With that in mind, here are some strong candidates for Deoxys counters when you're taking it on in a Raid, or trying to set up a Gym to defend against it.

Quote:Pokémon Type Fast Move Charged Move
Tyranitar Dark / Rock Bite (Dark) Crunch (Dark)
Gengar Ghost / Poison Shadow Clar (Ghost) Shadow Ball (Ghost)
Mewtwo Psychic Psycho Cut (Psychic) Shadow Ball (Ghost)
Absol Dark Snarl (Dark) Dark Pulse (Dark)
Houndoom Dark / Fire Snarl (Dark) Foul Play (Dark)

Really, any high-CP Pokémon that can deal out persistent Dark, Bug, or Ghost-type damage over time is going to give Deoxys trouble, especially as its stats have remained untouched when Niantic brings it into the game.

With that, and the added element of its multiple formes, and the fact that Deoxys is actually a Mythical Pokémon like Mew or Celebi, rather than a legendary like Mewtwo or the Regis, legendary birds and legendary dogs, it should make quite a change from hunting down Mewtwo in EX Raids!

Apparently Niantic leaked Pokemon #808 through their network traffic!, what do you think of it?

Quote:Get ready for a whole new way to GO, Trainers! Explore everything from the GO Park complex to the Play Yard, use Candies to strengthen your team, and battle Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/09..._abilities

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The release of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! is drawing ever nearer, and more information surrounding the new games is starting to be unveiled. Today, various online personalities and influencers were invited to play two hours of the new games, and the first details (which talk about things such as held items and IVs) are now starting to be shared online.

These new pieces of information come from Serebii, with the site's webmaster Joe Merrick explaining his two hours with the game in a blog post. One of the most interesting facts from his time with the game shows that certain core series mechanics such as physical and special type moves, and IVs and EVs (hidden stats which indicate a Pokémon's individual attributes such as attack and defence power), are still present in this new release, - although EVs, in particular, were slightly tricky to fully understand.

Quote: First, mechanically, the battles work pretty much exactly the same as previous main series Pokémon games with the physical and special split remaining intact. IVs fully appear to be within the game but with limited time with the early part of the game it is impossible to completely determine if the IV spreads are identical to how they were in the games since Ruby & Sapphire.

At present it's hard to say what the situation is with EVs. After some battles, an additional +1 appears in one stat such as Speed or Attack, but this +1 is also added with the candy obtained from transferring Pokémon.

Elsewhere, Serebii confirms that held items are not in the game, with "no option to make a Pokémon hold an item" being present in the game's menus. Abilities - such as Mold Breaker and Wonder Guard - have also been dropped from the games, taking away that element of battle. Presumably, this is to create a simpler route of entry for new players who will already have lots to think about elsewhere.

Other core mechanics such as comboing Pokémon out in the field when capturing are also still present, although this is not yet fully understood. Players appear to earn more experience from catching Pokémon rather than battling, with bonuses being given "if it's a new Pokémon, quality of capture and so forth". Teaming up with a second player locally also gives you an experience-earning boost.

Interestingly, Serebii states that "the trainer battles also end with Poké Balls being given in order to continue capture", and has also confirmed that the entry requirements for Gyms - like the Pewter City's requirement to have a grass or water type Pokémon on your team - are only required for entry; battles do not require these Pokémon to be used. Naturally, this takes away any fears that Gym battles would be made easier, and instead acts as an additional side quest-style component for an extra challenge.

So there we have it; lots of new concrete information on how the new Pokémon titles will play out. Has this helped to ease any of your concerns, or were you perhaps already sold on the titles to begin with? Feel free to share your thoughts with us below.

Hopefully there's no more delays

Quote:Developer Niantic will soon be rolling out a beta test for the upcoming PokéStop nomination system in “Pokémon Go.”

The developer plans to allow Level 40 trainers to test out the new feature in South Korea and Brazil before opening it up to the rest of the world, as confirmed via the official Niantic blog. This means that areas without an abundance of the in-game locations will now have a chance at getting their own landmarks

Any trainers in those select locations will be able to select potential future PokéStops in the future by submitting their own photos and descriptions for their suggestions. Then, instead of an automated process ruling out or accepting the new locations, users in the Ingress Operation Portal Recon (OPR) project will review each one before it goes on to potentially become a PokéStop out in the field.

The official Niantic Help Center includes information on what’s acceptable and not when it comes to PokéStop suggestions. There are plans for the future to expand this program beyond South Korea and Brazil at present, but for now Niantic is content to thank players for “working to make Pokémon Go an even better experience.”

“Pokémon Go” is still enjoying tens of millions of players, and player activity has actually increased a whopping 35 percent since May 2018. With the addition of plentiful social features such as trading and gifting, it’s no secret that fan interest has been significantly reignited since these augments were added.

Giving players the ability to further expand their playable areas with the suggestion of PokéStops will almost certainly see this percentage rise in the future.

This was announced!, what do you think of it?
Personally i'd get it, since it also includes the PokeBall plus, but it's going to be ridiculously expensive where i live

OMG, the Sandshrew looks so cute running!