Yesterday, there were whispers of a new, mysterious pokemon. You’ve probably seen the leaked pictures by now. In Pokemon Go’s files, there’s an odd sprite looks like a gray ditto with a metal nut for a head. Rumor has it that these might be sprites of the “new, never-before-seen Pokemon” that was teased with the announcement of Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. What’s odd, though, is that these sprites are no longer hidden in the game’s data files – they’re actually appearing for many players.
At this time of writing, which is about 5:42PM on the east coast of the United States, Community Day has just ended. All the Chikoritas have been caught, all the Meganiums have been powered up and evolved. And as these little green friends started to disappear from the map, in their place, players began to see these mystery sprites in the map, and in the Poke-radar. Some of them even managed to catch one.
Most entertainment companies in our modern age are familiar with the tendencies of the internet. Users will grab whatever crumbs they’re given. Rumors spread like wildfire, and yes, I realize the irony in writing this here. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising if Niantic was trying to weaponize that kind of hunger. After all, it’s already generated quite a buzz.
What’s strange, though, is that these mystery pokemon don’t seem to retain their appearance after catching. The current reports from players are that this Pokemon, when caught, shows up as a regular Ditto, or sometimes a Chikorita. There’s no sign of the previous, strange sprite that has everyone’s attention.
What does this mean? It’s hard to say. This could be one of the biggest publicity stunts of the year, unconventional as it might be. It could also be one of the more embarrassing bugs. One thing is for sure, though – keep an eye on those Poke-radars. You never know what you’ll find in the coming days.
