"Pokémon Go" users will soon be able to battle one another in player vs. player (PvP) matches, which is set to be included in the massive update scheduled for this summer.
Mathieu de Fayet, Niantic vice president of strategic partnerships, spoke with Brazilian newspaper O Globo (as reported by Go Nintendo) to confirm that PvP battles and legendary Pokémon are among the inclusions in the upcoming "Pokémon Go" update. He explained that the features were initially planned to be released earlier, but the massive success of the game meant they had to postpone some updates.
Niantic hopes to mirror the success it achieved with "Ingress" by creating social interaction among users in-game. Trading and PvP battles are said to make that possible for "Pokémon Go." Both features are expected to become available soon.
Another feature included in the update has to do with giving "more value to your choice of team." Many speculate that this will be done by overhauling the current gym structure and features.
On the other hand, Niantic is also expected to roll out Legendary Pokémon soon. So far, the game features most of the Pokémon from the first two generations of the series. The summer update is expected to bring more Legendary Pokémon to the fore.
Speaking to Wired Germany (via GameSpot) Niantic CEO John Hanke said, "I can safely say we'll see more of it this year." However, there was no mention of which particular characters are going to be included in the game.
During the 21<sup>st Annual Webby Awards in April, Niantic's global marketing lead Archit Bhargava also teased, "This summer will be legendary."
Rumors of Legendary Pokémon making their way into the game first came out last year, when Articuno was mistakenly added into some of the players' Pokémon rosters. Niantic immediately rectified the glitch and removed Articuno from the players' accounts to ensure fair game for all.
