‘Pokemon Go’ is available for iOS and Android devices. (Niantic)
Niantic Labs has officially announced that new Pokemon have been added to Pokemon Go, including Togepi and Pichu. So how do you get them?
In a video posted on their YouTube channel, Niantic told players that they can begin hatching baby Pokemon, such as Togepi and Pichu, from eggs starting today, December 12th. They added that “several others” will become available as well, and it appears that the other new Pokemon that are now out include Cleffa, Igglybuff, Smoochum, Elekid, Magby, and Togepi. There may be others, but these are the ones that have been confirmed thus far.
At this time, it appears that the new Pokemon can only be hatched from eggs, not caught in the wild.
Also, the new Pokemon will only be available from new eggs, with eggs already in your inventory not hatching any of these additional creatures. That’s because the Pokemon you receive from an egg is determined at the time you get the egg, not the time you hatch it. As proof of this, during previous egg distribution changes, players noticed that eggs they had in their inventory before the update were not affected. Therefore, you’ll need to obtain an egg on or after December 12th if you hope to get a new Pokemon.
In other words, for Niantic, this is a great opportunity to get players to use more eggs and buy more incubators from the game’s store using actual real-world money. If you want to get your hands on the new Pokemon, get some new eggs and start walking.
Here is the full announcement released by Niantic today:
Trainers,
Professor Willow has discovered Togepi and Pichu hatching from Eggs! Starting later today, Trainers will have the opportunity to hatch these and several other Pokémon that were originally discovered in the Johto Region in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver video games. These are the first of more Pokémon coming to Pokémon GO over the next few months. Be sure to use the hashtag #PokemonGO on Twitter to share your experiences as you explore your local neighborhoods with family and friends, walk to hatch these Pokémon from Eggs, and register them to your collection this holiday season. We can’t wait to see what Pokémon you’ve hatched!
We also have another special treat for you. Starting later today through December 29, 2016, 10:00 A.M. PST, you’ll find limited edition Pikachu all over the world. These Pikachu will be wearing a festive hat to celebrate the season! Use the Pokémon GO AR camera when you encounter them in the wild to take their picture and share it with us using #HolidayPikachu.
—The Pokémon GO team