8 things Niantic could have done for Pokemon GO's 8th anniversary

Niantic and the community are ready to celebrate Pokemon GO's eighth anniversary from June 28, 2024, until July 3, 2024. The developer is drumming up hype for the occasion by releasing an event that celebrates the game's history and some of its more beloved Pocket Monsters. However, some players may feel that the celebration is lacking anything new or innovative.

While Niantic's celebration of Pokemon GO's history is great and will surely provide tons of hours of enjoyable content for many hardcore players, this is the perfect chance for the developer to really shake things up for the game.

While we already know about the content coming with the game's eight-year anniversary, here are eight things Niantic could have introduced or done differently.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

---

8 ideas for Niantic's Pokemon GO eight-year anniversary event

1) Bring back Mewtwo

While Niantic is bringing back the original Starter Pokemon, nothing has been done for the original Legendary Pokemon (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Throughout Pokemon GO's upcoming event, the Kanto Starter Pokemon will keep spawning in costumed variants with different party hats. While the original Kanto Starters, as well as Pikachu and Eevee, will be available, Mewtwo is not returning for the celebration.

Bringing back Mewtwo, or even Armored Mewtwo, for the anniversary event would feel like the ultimate celebration of Pokemon GO's history, so it is a bit of a missed opportunity that many fans would have appreciated.

---

2) Introduced new Megas

Many players are still waiting for the release of Mega Mewtwo (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Adding on to the idea of Mewtwo making a return, the anniversary celebration for Pokemon GO would have been the perfect time for Niantic to introduce Mega Mewtwo X and Y to the mobile game. If Mewtwo were to return during this event, it would have provided Niantic with a perfect opportunity to introduce the critter's Mega Evolutions as rotating Raid Bosses throughout the celebration.

However, Niantic has been very adamant about waiting for the right time to release Mewtwo's Mega Evolutions. If Pokemon GO's eighth anniversary is not considered a good time, who knows when these forms will come to the game.

---

3) Increased shiny rates

Shiny Pokemon are available but somewhat rare during the event (Image via The Pokemon Company)

A lot of recent events have brought new shiny Pokemon to the mobile game, but very rarely does Niantic increase the chances of players encountering them. This is mostly restricted to the Community Day, a monthly event notorious for its increase to shiny odds.

It may not be the best idea to increase shiny rates to the extent of Community Days for this event, considering that it lasts multiple days. However, increasing the odds to around 1 in 100 or 1 in 50 would be appreciated by the playerbase.

---

4) Shiny Celebi microtransaction

Shiny Celebi will be in the event, but players willhave to pay $5 USD for the chance to get it (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Celebi is returning to Pokemon GO in its shiny variant as part of the new Masterwork Research quests. Sadly, this quest line will not be given out for free.

Players will have to pay $5 USD for the Whispers in the Woods quest line that ultimately rewards trainers with an encounter with Celebi. Those who buy the ticket will be able to complete this research whenever they want, and the Celebi they receive will always be in its shiny form.

Nevertheless, restricting such a rare Mythical Pokemon behind a paywall leaves many players out of the experience.

---

5) Meltan bonuses

Meltan is still a very tedious Pokemon to get, with some trainers even outright forgetting it is in the game (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Niantic is allowing the Mystery Box to be opened more often during the Pokemon GO anniversary event, many players still may not feel incentivized to use the feature due to Meltan being incredibly tedious to grind. Since the critter costs 400 candies to evolve, it is likely that trainers will need to open the Mystery Box several times to get the candy they need.

A double multiplier to the amount of candy players receive from catching or tranfering Meltan would be enough to get more trainers into the mechanic. Keeping the already-present shiny chance would be great as well.

---

6) Wider spawn pools

While they are rare and beloved, many players would like to encounter more types of wild Pokemon than just Starter Pokemon (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The spawn pools during the eighth-anniversary celebration in Pokemon GO include Starter Pokemon from various regions. The species of starters will change throughout different time periods. However, the Paldean and Kanto starters will always be spawning. This means that the spawns will be four Fire types, four Water types, and four Grass types.

While costumed variants of Muk, Eevee, and Pikachu may spawn, the wild encounters may get stale fast.

---

7) More raids

Pokemon GO's eighth anniversary event will only feature One-Star Raid Bosses (Image via Niantic)

The eighth-anniversary celebration in Pokemon GO will only have One-Star Raid Bosses, featuring each of the costumed variants that will be available throughout the event's duration. No special Three, Five, or Mega Raid Boss will be present.

Trainers interested in Raid Battles may want to sit this event out. Having said that, it is a bit unsual for Niantic to not include any special Raid Battles for a celebration as beloved as this one.

---

8) No new debuts

The eighth anniversary would have been a great time to introduce Arceus to Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Outside of a few costumed variants, no new arrivals are coming to Pokemon GO during its eighth-anniversary celebration. With still so many creatures yet to make an appearance in the mobile title, a big celebration to the game's history without a peak into its future can feel strangely empty.

Arceus is a Mythical Pokemon from the Sinnoh region who has yet to make an appearance in the mobile title. Many players have wondered when this creature would be introduced, but the Pocket Monster has never been acknowledged.