Shiny Nihilego not yet available in Pokemon GO

Arriving in Pokemon GO from Ultra Space earlier this summer, Nihilego is one of the Ultra Beast Pokemon originating in the Generation VII games.

While Nihilego has been available for capture since June 2022, some trainers have wondered why it doesn't possess a shiny variant.

Fans of Nihilego may find it frustrating that its shiny form isn't available in Pokemon GO yet. However, it's important to note that none of the Ultra Beasts have received shiny variants upon their release. This may change with the imminent release of Guzzlord, but there's been no confirmation from Niantic so far.

So when will Nihilego and the other Ultra Beasts receive their shiny forms? We can unfortunately only speculate.

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When are Pokemon GO's Ultra Beasts expected to receive shiny forms?

Nihilego's shiny form in Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon (Image via u/KangasKid18/Reddit)

No one really knows how Niantic might decide to release shiny forms for Pokemon GO's current Ultra Beasts.

Not every Ultra Beast Pokemon seen in the Generation VII games has even been released yet, despite the current and previous in-game seasons being heavily focused on Pocket Monsters from the Alola region. So far, Niantic has kept their plans for Ultra Beast shinies fairly close to their chest.

Suffice to say, the Pokemon GO community may not receive Ultra Beast shinies in 2022. This will obviously change if Guzzlord's upcoming release event presents its variant. However, that would still leave the likes of Nihilego, Buzzwole, Pheromosa, Xurkitree, Kartana, and Celesteela to consider.

Though it's an unfortunate point of speculation, the Ultra Beasts' shinies may be released in a piecemeal fashion.

This likely means that specific major events on Niantic's content calendar would include a shiny Ultra Beast like Nihilego to "sweeten the pot" and coax players into participating if they don't want to. With more players in events comes the prospect of more microtransactions for Niantic.

Since Nihilego made its debut during GO Fest 2022, it may not be a stretch to assume that its shiny variant may appear in next year's GO Fest. There may also be upcoming events in 2023 that involve Special Research Stories, which present an opportunity for the powerful Rock/Poison-type Ultra Beast to be featured.

Perhaps an event centered around Rock or Poison-type Pokemon may arise in 2023, which would also allow Nihilego to show off its shiny form.

Fortunately, the presence of the NPC Rhi seems to confirm that the Ultra Beasts will remain a fixture in Pokemon GO's story for the foreseeable future. The member of the Ultra Recon Squad often offers trainers Research Tasks pertaining to the Pokemon from Ultra Space. The time will surely come when Nihilego and its counterparts can obtain their shiny forms.

For the time being, Pokemon GO trainers will simply have to exercise patience and await word from Niantic's development team via social media. New developments are being confirmed all the time, and the game's community will be anxiously looking forward to the arrival of shiny Nihilego when the time comes.