It's been a while since Pokemon GO introduced Generation 3 creatures, but it looks like the wait for Gen IV is nearly over. Here's a video posted by the official Pokemon channel today.
It doesn't reveal much, and it's unclear how many Sinnoh region Pokemon will be added to the game in the initial wave. The game benefited from releasing previous generations in batches, rather than all at once, and we'd expect the same approach to be used here. What we can see in the teaser video are Sinnoh starters Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup.
The official Pokemon website has also detailed some gameplay tweaks that will be rolled out soon as well, based on player feedback.
In terms of exploration and encounters, expect the following:
- The weather feature will have a reduced effect on the rate at which Pokémon appear.
- As you explore a given area, you will notice that a greater variety of Pokémon species will appear over time and at different rates.
- Certain areas, such as parks and nature reserves, will now contain more varied Pokémon species.
And gym battles are also getting an overhaul.
- CP values will be adjusted going forward to improve game balance.
- HP values will be adjusted to close the gap between Pokémon with high and low HP.
- Pokémon Defense and Stamina values will be rebalanced, allowing Pokémon with high defensive stats to be valuable by outlasting opponents in battle rather than these Pokémon merely taking too long to defeat.
- Defense values have also been slightly reduced for most Pokémon. Changes like these will help narrow the gap between Pokémon with the highest defensive stats and other Pokémon.
Expect these changes - and the Gen IV Pokemon - soon.