While developer Niantic and publisher Nintendo is cracking down on leaksters, gameplay footage of the beta version of the upcoming "Pokémon GO" augmented reality title continues to crop up. Meanwhile, speculations suggest that a big announcement may be coming up this week.

According to NeuroGadget, there seems to be a pattern in major "Pokémon GO" announcements in the past few weeks. Reportedly, the release for the first beta version occurred on March 3, followed by another beta location announcement on April 7. Both were the first Thursdays of their months. However, aside from teaser details, Niantic and Nintendo did not make any major announcements last May 5.

The industry observer added that a "first Thursday" scenario may not be the pattern. Rather, it seems that Niantic announces a major development for the upcoming AR title every five weeks. If the pattern is to be observed, it can be expected that the developer may have something to announce – hopefully the release date for the full version – this coming Thursday, May 12.

However, if the scheduled release for "Pokémon GO" is to be later in the year, Niantic may instead go for a bare-it-all announcement at this year's E3 event, considered to be one of the biggest trade shows for the gaming industry. The E3 is slated for next month.

Meanwhile, although Niantic and Nintendo have already cautioned beta testers against leaking information about the beta test for "Pokémon GO," gameplay footage of the beta continues to crop up online. The latest gameplay video highlights the evolution process for the captured Pokémon and how different it is from the evolving sequences in past "Pokémon" games.

According to Vine Report, the video has been taken down already, which led to speculations that the footage may be the real thing, as Niantic has been known to vigilantly take down reported leaks and suspending leaksters' beta privileges.