"Pokemon GO" might finally allow players to be side by side one of their Pokemon during their hunting journey and experience that same Ash and Pikachu bond, thanks to the new "buddy Pokemon" update.
"You will be able to pick your favorite Pokemon from your collection to become your buddy, opening up unique in-game rewards and experiences," developer Niantic Labs wrote on its website.
The selected Pokemon will be shown next to the trainer's avatar in the game. The buddy Pokemon could then saunter with "Pokemon GO" players while hunting. Through this, players can earn some candies. Players can change the buddy Pokemon whenever they like.
Before Niantic Labs made this official, programming experts Elfinlazz and AeonLucid, who ploughed through the codes within the hit augmented reality game, found codes pertaining to this very feature.
The buddy Pokemon update follows the arrival of Pokemon Appraisal to "Pokemon GO," which allows players to consult their team leaders about their Pokemon's stats and which ones are fit for certain gym battles.
Niantic also promised that they have "a lot more in the works this fall," which means that the buddy Pokemon is just one of the features to expect in "Pokemon GO" in the months to come.
In other related news, analysis outlet SensorTower reports that the game has already raked up an impressive amount of $440 million as it approaches its second month of availability.
To put things into perspective, "Pokemon GO" made bigger money that big movie releases like "Warcraft," "Independence Day: Resurgence" and "Star Trek Beyond" to name a few.
GameSpot notes that the number of players has dropped, but it still gets $4 million in worldwide net revenue every single day.
SensorTower adds that Niantic has bagged a net revenue amounting to more than $308 million, which is $100 million higher than what they got from Aug. 5.
