Team Rocket, the main annoyance-antagonists in the Pokémon franchise, have finally been introduced into real-world Pokémon walkabout game, Pokémon Go. Their addition to the game's lore and mechanics was hinted at with a number of thematic teases over the past few months, showing the Team Rocket balloon and anonymous members of the organization which would pop into the game's AR photo mode at special events. But now Team Rocket is truly here and that means things are going to change in Pokémon Go for good.
Early reports of Team Rocket affecting the in-game universe began popping up on July 23, where users began spotting infected Pokéstops with mysterious shadowy Pokémon collecting around them. When you approach them, Team Rocket grunts would appear, forcing you into a battle against three of their high-level Pokémon. If you won, you could then catch a shadow Pokémon of various types. You can keep it like that if you want, or for a modest fee you can purify it which also raises its stats.
Trainers, we have an incoming message from Professor Willow: "I’ve noticed an alarming number of reports from Trainers who have found PokéStops that look...discolored?" Trainers, please report any PokéStops that look different with #PokemonGO. pic.twitter.com/oxpXR7ZlSm
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 22, 2019
These Pokémon also have some intriguing stat boosts available through trading, letting players get hold of some very high-level Pokémon with comparatively little effort. The number and range of shadow Pokémon isn't exhaustive, but Eurogamer has recorded instances of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Rattata, Zubat and Snorlax all existing within the game.
At the time of writing, these shadow Pokémon have stopped appearing, with Niantic making out like it's some in-universe, deliberate choice. Most seem to think it's a bug though, so expect them to make a comeback in the next couple of days.
