After the Friday invasion of New York City by members of Team Rocket, fans of Pokémon Go may have thought that the event was over. But it seems the evil Pokémon organization still had some plans up its sleeve. A day-long countdown, ending at midnight ET on Sunday, July 28, revealed the next stage in their plans: Taking over all Pokéstops across the globe.
SUP, TWERPS! While all of you were distracted with the little stunt that we pulled in New York, we mobilized our forces for a GLOBAL TEAM GO ROCKET INVASION! From 4 to 5 p.m. in your local time, we’ll be taking over ALL the PokéStops in your area. Teehee. #TeamGORocket pic.twitter.com/7KZ6HFS3jD
— Team GO Rocket (@PokemonGoApp) July 28, 2019
Last week Niantic added Rocket Stops, wherein members of Team Rocket will infect a stop, requiring a Pokémon battle to clear it. Winning the battle allows for players to catch a Shadow Pokémon.
What this means for the future of Pokémon Go is anyone’s guess, but we’re hopeful that an appearance by the original Mewtwo is in order, perhaps as a way to fight against the Team Rocket menace. The current tier 5 raid, Armored Mewtwo, is scheduled to end on Wednesday of this week, so perhaps the original (and far better) Mewtwo, will finally return to a game that has decreed it its top attacker.
No matter how this shakes out, there’s no question that the Team Rocket event has been one of the most exciting Niantic has hosted in Pokémon Go, and proves that the three-year-old game still has a few surprises left.