Pokemon Go data leak reveals Gen 3 release during Halloween event

As most players are already aware, a special Halloween event is coming to Pokemon Go this year. But it appears the spooky-themed update isn't the only thing players will experience in the weeks to come, as a new datamine has revealed that several generation three Pokemon have been added to the game's files, along with a new loading screen teasing their arrival. For fans wanting to experience all the surprises of the Halloween event, it would be best to look away now, as spoilers follow after this.

The Pokemon fan community at The Silph Road was the first to dive into the just-released 0.79.2 update for Pokemon Go. Within the data they found the new Halloween loading screen, below, which noticeably features the generation three Pokemon Dusclops, Shuppet, Banette, Duskull, and Sableye, none of which are currently available in the game.

Other details in the update include sound files and badges referencing Pokemon from generation three, new music, and, of course, bug fixes. While developer Niantic has made direct hints about the Halloween event and being able to "catch new Pokemon to fill out our Pokedex," there hasn't been any official mention of generation three coming to Pokemon Go.

It's also unclear if Niantic plans to rollout generation three in the same way as they did with generation two, which saw a staggered release starting with seven baby Pokemon in December 2016, followed by a full rollout several month later. If that's the case, it's likely we'll see the new Pokemon from the loading screen first, with the remainder of generation three coming a few weeks later.

SOURCE The Silph Road