Pokémon Go’s updates, from making Pokémon harder to catch to dropping (then re-adding a watered down version of) its track features, have been received with mixed degrees of enthusiasm. However, the rumored next update seems like a lot of controversial fun: You can choose one of your Pokémon to be your buddy and walk around with you!
Long live the days of Pikachu following your every step like in Pokémon Yellow, if the latest bit of Pokémon Go data mining is to be believed. Pokémon Go Hub has the nitty gritty if you want to explore the actual code behind this, but basically, it seems like you can choose a Pokémon (one at a time) to walk beside in the overworld map.
That’s cute, but what’s the point? Walking with your Pokémon will award you candy, so although it’s not clear how much candy that will net you, it should hopefully mean you’ll have to power through catching fewer Magikarp to get a Gyarados. The buddy system uses the same “server side distance calculation” as hatching eggs does, so expect those two elements to work similarly as well. You can also walk the same buddy multiple times, but it seems likely there will be a daily limit for how much candy you can get, so no strapping your phone to your dog and becoming the very best like no one ever was.
Since these changes are already in the game’s code, this new feature could be on our phones very soon. Now we’re just wishing we could get an Alola Exeggutor to be our buddy.
Featured image: The Pokémon Company