Pokémon Go’s Halloween event datamine all but confirms gen three is on its way (update)

Pokémon Go’s big Halloween update could bring some exciting changes to the game, based on findings from big-time dataminers in The Silph Road guild. These range from bug fixes to anti-cheating tools, but the grabbiest one is our first look at what could the game’s first third-gen Pokémon.

A splash screen found in the game’s latest file package shows several ghost- and dark-type Pokémon, like the familiar Gengar, Zubat and Murkrow. Also included in the new assets are several Pokémon from the third-generation games: Dusclops, Duskull, Sableye, Shuppet and Bannette.

Niantic/The Pokémon Company via Reddit

We’ve never seen these guys in-game before, and we still haven’t seen their in-game models. But the datamined illustration is an encouraging sign that they’ll make their debut during the annual Halloween promotion. There are also sounds included in Pokémon Go’s new update files for species up to Pokédex entry 386, or Deoxys — a range that encompasses the entirety of the third generation.

This is the closest we’ve gotten to a confirmation of new Pokémon’s arrival in Pokémon Go. We’ve reached out to Niantic about the datamine and will update accordingly.

Be on the lookout for Pokémon Go’s Halloween 2017 event, which the company has yet to officially announce — although fans have long suspected that the seasonal campaign would introduce new monsters into the game.

Update: Another seeming gen-three leak appears: An ad for the game on the Apple Watch App Store shows several new and old Pokémon, as well as a special Pikachu wearing a Witch Hat.

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It’s looking increasingly likely that the Halloween event will introduce us to some new Pokémon, but Niantic has yet to comment.