How can Niantic introduce breeding in Pokemon GO?

Pokemon GO already offers trainers the ability to get Pokemon eggs, but in a manner that's very different from the core series. In most main series Pokemon games, eggs are obtained through breeding, where two-parent Pokemon are left at a daycare where they can produce an egg. But how could Niantic add Pokemon breeding to GO? Niantic could consider introducing breeding Pokemon on a timer.

Pokemon breeding in the core series sees two Pocket Monsters bonding together, ultimately leaving an egg for trainers to collect. The egg is then hatched to produce an offspring that exhibits many of its parents' features including their species, moves, IVs, and more.

With the right game mechanic, perhaps Niantic could introduce a way to breed Pokemon eggs that avoid being abused and ensure that obtaining eggs from other means is still viable.

Note: Some aspects of this article are speculative.

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How Niantic could add breeding to Pokemon GO in a balanced manner

Niantic could use (or skip) Pokemon daycares and still introduce breeding in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In theory, adding breeding to Niantic's mobile title should be possible as long as Niantic ensures that players don't overuse it to the point where they don't obtain eggs from other methods. This could mean introducing a breeding function to the existing egg menu, and Niantic could even introduce Pokemon daycare NPCs that help players move through the breeding process.

Players could select two Pokemon from their roster (though certain Pokemon likely shouldn't be capable of breeding, perhaps legendaries and mythicals), placing them in the virtual "daycare" and leaving them there for a set amount of time. Trainers wouldn't be able to access their Pokemon during this time much like in the main series, but when the timer expires, the two Pokemon would produce an egg.

The set timer would be difficult given Pokemon GO players' varied schedules, but a time limit of a few days or a week would ensure that trainers don't simply breed all of their Pokemon eggs ad nauseam while ignoring things like Pokestops, Adventure Sync, gifts, or battling Team GO Rocket grunts. Eggs created through breeding could even take more time to hatch if Niantic wanted to go that route.

While producing eggs in this manner would be time-consuming and remove the availability of two of a player's Pokemon, the upsides could be considerable. For example, if trainers could breed most creatures available in Pokemon GO, they could obtain egg hatches that don't appear during a season or event's spawning pool.

Egg-centric events like Spring into Spring would be perfect opportunities to add breeding to Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

This would not only be a great way to get certain Pokemon, including babies, but it could be useful to obtain Pokemon who have considerably low hatch chances. Throw in the offspring's ability to inherit moves and IVs from its parents, and breeding in Pokemon GO could certainly be a functional mechanic that doesn't severely unbalance the game.

Given that multiple events like Eggs-Pedition Access/Spring into Spring are already focused on obtaining and hatching Pokemon eggs, they would make for an excellent opportunity to introduce breeding to Pokemon GO. Players could even complete research tasks for breeding certain Pokemon or getting egg hatches with certain moves.

All in all, Pokemon breeding remains one of the most popular mechanics in the main series games, and Pokemon GO players have been requesting it from Niantic for years. It's unclear if Niantic would be willing to implement it (considering egg collecting and hatching are significant drivers in their revenue), but it could go a long way to bring some fans back into the fold.