Pokemon Go Dev Hints That Legendary Pokemon Are On The Way This Summer

Pokemon Go lets players capture nearly every Pokemon from the series' first two generations, with a few notable exceptions: thus far, players have not been able to encounter, let alone capture, any Legendary Pokemon. Recent comments from developer Niantic, however, seem to suggest that Legendary monsters may be appearing in the game soon.

In his acceptance speech at the 21st Annual Webby Awards, where Pokemon Go picked up five awards including "Best Mobile Game," Niantic's global marketing product lead Archit Bhargava said, "This summer will be legendary." While not outright confirmation that Legendary Pokemon are coming to the game, it certainly seems to suggest that's the case; Webby acceptance speeches are traditionally limited to five words, and the fact that Bhargava explicitly included the word "legendary" in his is perhaps the biggest hint yet that Legendary Pokemon are indeed on the way.

Rumors that Legendary Pokemon would be added to Pokemon Go have been circulating since last summer, when the Legendary bird Articuno found its way into--and was quickly revoked from--some players' games. More recently, Niantic CEO John Hanke was asked by Wired Germany when players could expect to see Legendary Pokemon in the game, to which he replied, "I can safely say we'll see more of it this year."

In the meantime, Pokemon Go players can take part in the game's Adventure Week event, which makes it easier to encounter Rock-type Pokemon like Omanyte, Kabuto, Aerodactyl, and Sudowoodo. Players can also get a free "Adventurer's Hat" for their avatar. Adventure Week ends on May 25 at 1 PM PT/4 PM ET.