Online Battles Coming To Pokémon Go In 2020

A few years ago, Niantic teased the possibility of battling other Pokémon Go players online. Now, this is no longer an idea – it is happening, albeit next year.

Starting in early 2020, players will be able to put their Pokémon battle skills to the test as they fight other trainers across the globe. The studio has announced that a new feature called Go Battle League is coming to the game. Not only does it build upon Trainer Battles, it also enables the ability to play online.

It is worth noting that Niantic introduced Trainer Battles in Pokémon Go last year. This was meant as a way to give players the ability to challenge other nearby players, although they could also choose to go up against their friends anywhere they are. The only catch, though, is that they must be in Ultra or Best Friends lists; otherwise, the feature will not work.

Go Battle League, however, is on a different and much better level. It essentially pits players against random trainers from all over the world via an online matchmaking system, which is something Niantic has started developing already.

The studio unfortunately did not give out specific details as to how the PvP mechanics of the feature work. The studio did explain, though, that "trainers will be able to walk in order to earn entry" and that all participants will be ranked. The feature is expected to arrive in the game sometime in early 2020, but the studio is expected to share more details about it before launch via a trailer.

It is interesting to see just how much change the Go Battle League will bring to the table. While the idea of battling players online is definitely an exciting thing, and it all boils down to how effective Niantic is in implementing it. Besides, Niantic will most likely avoid a scenario where players are just battling online at home. It defeats the "walk around outside" premise of the game. But as far as how much exercise players will need to undergo to gain entry into the Go Battle League, it remains to be seen.