There’s no denying the fact that Pokémon Go is a phenomenon. In just a few days, it’s topping Google and Apple app stores and has people who don’t even know how to pronounce “Pikachu” are walking around the block and into trees just so they can find a Nidoran. Nothing can stop the resolve of a trainer hunting for Pokémon in augmented reality — nothing. Their focus is so deep they’re stumbling over dead bodies, catching beasts in delivery rooms and getting stabbed for wandering into the wrong areas, just because they need to catch ’em all. It’s a wonderful thing, this Pokémon Go, but unfortunately, a core tenet of the Pokémon experience is missing — trading.
Currently, there’s no trading, and battling has to be done in a public Gym where teams battle for the glory of holding a piece of augmented reality. It’s a far cry from the Pokémon games of yesteryear, but John Hanke, CEO of Pokémon Go developer Niantic, has soothed our fears in just five simple words to Tech Insider.
“It’s kind of a core element.”
Hanke wouldn’t go into detail beyond that brief quote to Tech Insider, but it’s clear that trading is on its way. According to the report, trading will be made highly social, much like the current features in the app. This will lead us a few steps further to completing our collections, and hopefully around any corpses that may be in our path to completion.