Niantic has announced some spooky scary shenanigans during Pokémon GO Halloween 2020 including: Galarian Yamask making its Pokémon GO debut, Halloween-themed mini events like Catch Mastery: Ghost Day and the Halloween Cup!

Steel yourself for some spooky scary shenanigans during Pokémon GO Halloween 2020!

Trainers, Halloween is frighteningly close! Get ready for some spooky shenanigans this year! Galarian Yamask makes its Pokémon GO debut in new Halloween-themed Special Research, and completing certain Field Research tasks may lead to an encounter with Spiritomb—you might even encounter a Shiny one! Dress up in ghastly new avatar items, prepare face off against spine-chillingly cool Pokémon in raids, and take part in Halloween-themed mini events like Catch Mastery: Ghost Day and the Halloween Cup! Regardless of where your dark heart leads you, there’s plenty to enjoy this Halloween!

Date + Time
Friday, October 23, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) to Tuesday, November 3, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)

Features

• Ghost-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild, will be featured in raids, and will be hatching more frequently from Eggs.
• This year, Gengar and Sableye will be wearing costumes! Face off with costumed Gengar in raids and keep an eye out for costumed Sableye in the wild—it may even hatch from an Egg!
• Galarian Yamask will appear in Pokémon GO for the first time! Complete the new Halloween 2020 Special Research, A Spooky Message Unmasked, to help Professor Willow uncover the mysteries surrounding this Pokémon.
• Spiritomb can be encountered by completing certain Field Research tasks and by completing the new Halloween 2020 Special Research story, A Spooky Message Unmasked. If you’re lucky, you may encounter a Shiny one!
• Trainers who completed the Mega Buddy Challenge Timed Research will be able to participate in exclusive Timed Research that will reward Gengar Mega Energy.
• Darkrai will be featured in five-star raids!
• Enjoy Halloween-themed Field Research tasks!
• New avatar items will be available in the Style Shop! Get dressed for Halloween with a Pikachu Mask, Gengar Onesie, Sableye Goggles, Sableye Mask, or Banette Mask! You can also try out the new Spooky Pose!
• Keep those eyes peeled for the Creepy Crate, Boo Bundle, and Pumpkin Pack boxes in the shop!
• Take a snapshot for some spooky surprises!

Bonuses

• 2× Transfer Candy
• 2× Catch Candy

This year’s Halloween event will contain a number of ways to celebrate.

• Alolan Marowak Raid Day — On Saturday, October 31, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time, Alolan Marowak will be appearing more often in raids.
• Catch Mastery: Ghost Day — On Sunday, October 25, 2020, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time, Ghost-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild and there will be event-exclusive Timed Research available to complete.
• GO Battle League: Halloween Cup — From Monday, October 26, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) to Tuesday, November 3, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8), the Halloween Cup will be live in the GO Battle League. In this format, only Poison-, Bug-, Ghost-, Dark-, and Fairy-type Pokémon with 1500 CP or less will be allowed to participate. You can also earn encounters with costumed Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle!!

Hope you have a spooky good time, Trainers! Let’s GO! Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from your local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/halloween2020/

Niantic has announced that on Friday, October 23rd, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mega Gengar will be available to battle in Mega Raids, and Mega Venusaur will be leaving Mega Raids.

Mega Venusaur leaves Mega Raids on October 23. Plus, take a sneak peek at some Mega Evolution updates.

Trainers, On Friday, October 23, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Mega Gengar will be available to battle in Mega Raids, and Mega Venusaur will be leaving Mega Raids. Until then, Mega Venusaur will be appearing more frequently in Mega Raids, so be sure to make the most of this time! Here are some other ways you’ll be able to earn Venusaur Mega Energy.

• You’ll be able to earn Venusaur Mega Energy by completing select Field Research tasks.
• An upcoming event in November will feature Timed Research that rewards Venusaur Mega Energy.

We’ll provide other ways for you to earn Venusaur Mega Energy in the future, so stay tuned for updates. In early November, there will be updates to the Mega Evolution feature. You’ll be able to do the following.

• Earn Mega Energy by walking with your Buddy Pokémon if you have previously Mega Evolved a Pokémon in your Buddy Pokémon’s Evolutionary line.
• Earn additional Candies when you have an active Mega-Evolved Pokémon and you catch a Pokémon that shares a type with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon. You will also earn additional Candies when catching a Raid Boss, regardless of its type.
• See Trainers on your friend list who currently have a Mega-Evolved Pokémon.

Good luck in your raids, Trainers! Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/megavenusaurraids/

Niantic has announced an all-new kind of Pokémon GO event called the Catch Mastery: Ghost event.

Catch Ghost-type Pokémon in an all-new kind of Pokémon GO event!

Trainers, Halloween is right around the corner, and Ghost-type Pokémon will be appearing more often! It’s time to put your catching skills to the test during the Catch Mastery: Ghost event!

Date + Time
Sunday, October 25, 2020, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time

Features

• Drifloon will be appearing more often in the wild! If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny one.
• There will be exclusive Timed Research available only during this event!
• Complete event-exclusive Field Research tasks to encounter Ghost-type Pokémon and earn Gengar Mega Energy.

Bonuses

• During this event, you’ll earn additional XP when catching Pokémon with Nice, Great, Excellent, and Curveball Throws.

It’s time to show those Ghost-type Pokémon that we’re not afraid of them, no matter how spooky they might be! Catch as many as you can, Trainer, before they get a chance to scare you off!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/catchmastery-ghost-2020/

Niantic has announced a partnership with Grubhub to have a Pokémon GO Special Weekend on Sunday, November 8th, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time in the United States.

Pokémon GO Special Weekend, presented by Grubhub

Trainers, We’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with our friends at Grubhub to give Trainers in the United States the opportunity to take part in an exclusive event. Trainers will be able to participate in a Special Weekend event! Don’t miss your chance to take part in this exciting in-game event.

Special Weekend event, presented by Grubhub!
Starting today, October 15, 2020, Trainers in the United States can sign up to take part in an exclusive event: the Special Weekend. Trainers who submit their email here and join Grubhub+—the membership offering one-of-a-kind rewards for the food and restaurants they love—will get a ticket to the event (while supplies last). As Grubhub+ members, Trainers can enjoy unlimited free delivery from their favorite restaurants, exclusive member perks, and more! Tickets are limited to one per Pokémon GO account and will be available until October 28. Learn more here.

The tickets provide Trainers access to event-exclusive Timed Research and special Pokémon attracted to Incense on Sunday, November 8, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time anywhere in the United States. Upon ticket redemption, players participating will receive an exclusive event badge.

Date + Time
Sunday, November 8, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time

Features

• Complete the event Timed Research to earn three Incense, a Star Piece, and 100 Charizard Mega Energy, as well as encounters with Chansey, Spoink, Mawile, Bronzor, Gible, and Sewaddle!
• The following Pokémon will be attracted to Incense during the event: Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Pikachu, Unown G, Unown H, Sableye, Patrat, Minccino, and Ferroseed. If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Ferroseed!
• Please note that Shiny Unown will not be appearing during this event.
• Incense activated during the event will last for one hour.

How to get a ticket You can obtain a ticket for the Special Weekend by completing the following actions by October 28 (while supplies last).

• Submit your email address on the Special Weekend page. You will then receive an email from Grubhub within 48 hours.
• If you’re new to Grubhub+, sign up for a Grubhub+ trial using the link in the email and following the prompts.
• Special Weekend tickets will be sent out starting on November 4 via an email from Grubhub.

Eligibility

• Tickets are available to new and current Grubhub+ members.
  • Trainers who are new to Grubhub+ must join using the link in the email described above, and will also receive a 14-day free trial through this promotion.
  • Trainers who are current Grubhub+ members must only submit their email address on the Special Weekend event page by October 28 in order to register for this promotion and receive a ticket.
  • Tickets will be sent out starting on November 4.
  • More information about the process and eligibility can be found here.
• Only one code can be redeemed per Pokémon GO account. Codes are personal and cannot be transferred.
• Available in the U.S. only.

Tickets redemption will be available on the Niantic Redemption portal from Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. PST (GMT −8), to Sunday, November 8, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8). You’ll be able to redeem the promotional code included in the ticket at the Offer Redemption website.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/grubhub-specialweekend2020/

Niantic has announced some adjustments to Mega Evolution in Pokémon GO including the duration changing from 4 hours to 8 hours and the cap for Mega Energy has increased from 999 to 2,000.

Updates to Mega Evolution!

Trainers, Two exciting updates have been made to Mega Evolutions, just in time for October Community Day!

• The duration that Pokémon stay in their Mega-Evolved form has doubled from four hours to eight hours.
• The cap for Mega Energy has increased from 999 to 2,000. This limit applies to each individual type of Mega Energy, not the total amount of Mega Energy you have across Pokémon species.

Stay tuned for additional updates in the coming weeks. Let’s GO!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/megaevolutions-updates/

Niantic has announced that a new event will take place from Monday, October 12th, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, October 19th, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) in Pokémon GO. Players can defeat a Team GO Rocket Leader to receive a Strange Egg.

What are these Strange Eggs? Save them from Team GO Rocket during the autumn event!

Trainers, Remember when we predicted that different Pokémon might be hatching from Eggs soon due to the temperature change? While it’s true that different Pokémon will be hatching from Eggs, we might have been a bit naïve with our initial assessment. It turns out, Team GO Rocket has been collecting a new type of Egg called Strange Eggs. These Eggs seem to hatch Poison-type Pokémon, Dark-type Pokémon, and Pokémon that acquire one of those types via Evolution. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that the Pokémon hatching from these Eggs have been harmed in any way, but regardless, Team GO Rocket’s activities are always a little worrisome!

Date + Time
Monday, October 12, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, October 19, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)

Features

• Strange Eggs have appeared in Pokémon GO! According to Spark’s early research, the following Poison-type Pokémon, Dark-type Pokémon, and Pokémon that acquire one of those types via Evolution can hatch from these Eggs: Larvitar, Scraggy, Trubbish, and Vullaby—though there may be even more!
• Defeat a Team GO Rocket Leader to receive a Strange Egg, and walk 12 km to hatch it. You’ll need to have space in your Egg inventory before your battle with Sierra, Cliff, or Arlo in order to receive a Strange Egg. Strange Eggs will continue to be available in Pokémon GO after the event ends.
• Eggs placed in Incubators during the event will require one-quarter the normal walking distance to hatch.
• For the first time since March, new Team GO Rocket Special Research will be available! Join Professor Willow as he and the team leaders investigate Team GO Rocket’s involvement with Strange Eggs, culminating in a battle with Giovanni himself! This is the last Team GO Rocket Special Research in 2020. If you currently have the The Shadowy Threat Grows Special Research from earlier this year, you’ll need to complete it first before you can obtain this new Special Research.
• Poison-type and Dark-type Pokémon will be appearing more often in the wild! Look forward to encountering Spinarak, Houndour, Poochyena, Gulpin, Stunky, Purrloin and more.
• Team GO Rocket will be more active than usual! Keep an eye out for Team GO Rocket taking over more PokéStops and Team GO Rocket balloons appearing more often.
• Take a snapshot for a surprise!
• Team GO Rocket Leader avatar items are now available in the shop. Perhaps you could use these avatar items to infiltrate and investigate Team GO Rocket! GO forth, Trainer!

In addition, we’ve heard reports that Team GO Rocket Grunts now is using the following Shadow Pokémon: Diglett, Shellder, Slowpoke,, Aerodactyl, and Skarmory. Team GO Rocket Leaders also appear to be using Shadow Growlithe, Shadow Drowzee, and Shadow Omanyte—if you’re incredibly lucky, you might be able to rescue a Shiny version of one of these Shadow Pokémon. Finally, defeat Giovanni for a chance to rescue Shadow Mewtwo! This is the first time Shadow Mewtwo is available in Pokémon GO outside of the Rocket Straight to Victory Special Research, which was exclusive to Pokémon GO Fest 2020.

After this event begins on Monday, October 12, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), you’ll be able to save Shadow Mewtwo and Shadow Pokémon from Giovanni, the Team GO Rocket Leaders, and Grunts when those Team GO Rocket members are piloting Team GO Rocket balloons. However, you won’t be able to encounter the Team GO Rocket Leaders’ new Shadow Pokémon or Shadow Mewtwo from PokéStops until the next day in your local time.

Team GO Rocket never rests, Trainers, and neither can we! It looks like these Strange Eggs are here to stay. Let’s save as many of these Strange Eggs as possible from Team GO Rocket!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/autumn-event-2020-strange-eggs/

The official Pokémon website and Niantic have announced that from Friday, October 9th, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, October 23rd, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), players of Pokémon GO can catch Origin Forme Giratina in Pokémon GO Raid Battles.

Catch Origin Forme Giratina in Pokémon GO Raid Battles this October

Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, will be featured in five-star Raids for a limited time.

If you're looking to add a powerful Legendary Pokémon to your Pokédex in Pokémon GO, look no further! Origin Forme Giratina will be appearing in five-star Pokémon GO Raids from Friday, October 9, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, October 23, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7). The Ghost- and Dragon-type Pokémon is weak against Ice-, Ghost-, Dragon-, Dark-, and Fairy-type attacks, so prepare accordingly if you plan to go head-to-head against this powerful Legendary Pokémon. If you're lucky, you may even encounter a Shiny Giratina!

Good luck, Trainers!

Source: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/catch-origin-forme-giratina-in-pokemon-go-raid-battles-this-october/

The French luxury leather goods brand Longchamp has announced a new line of products called Longchamp × Pokémon （ロンシャン × ポケモン） which will be sold starting on October 9th, 2020 at Longchamp stores and then it will expand to further stores worldwide on October 14th, 2020. The collection features Pikachu on a wide variety of bags and pouches. The Longchamp brand, founded by Jean Cassegrain in Paris, France in 1948, is a maison brand that fuses modern luxury with creativity and dynamism.

The Maison's iconic "Le Pliage®" collection has been transformed by Pikachu and has brought the "kawaii" trend to the world. Pikachu's electrifying loveliness has been preserved in four new product lines. Among them is Le Pliage® Cuir Pokémon, a numbered leather bag limited to 500 pieces worldwide.

Artistic Director Sophie Delafontaine said: "Each season, Longchamp's Le Pliage® creates innovative collaborations with designers, artists, architects and fashion bloggers, taking us to a world we have not yet reached. This was the brand's first collaboration to bring together the fashion, entertainment and gaming industries, and it was exciting to work with Pokémon and its iconic character, Pikachu. We hope you will enjoy this special collection that blends two different worlds - real and virtual."

To commemorate this collaboration, the Pokémon GO Style Shop will be offering a selection of free dress-up items based on Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon from Saturday, October 3rd, 2020. In addition, Pokémon wearing fashion items will be available for one week only from Saturday, October 3rd, 2020 to Friday, October 9th, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Trainers can not only catch Pokémon in the wild, but also challenge Raid Battles and hatch new eggs to get fashionable Pokémon. By wearing the collaboration items, you can enjoy wearing fashionable outfits with Trainers and Pokémon that appear in the app for a limited time. Full details were announced by Niantic is late September 2020 for this in-game event.

Longchamp × Pokémon Collection Pictures:

Longchamp × Pokémon Collection Items:

Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon Top Handle Bag: 22,000 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon Backpack: 28,600 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon shoulder bag: 31,900 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon Belt Bag: 36,300 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon Messenger Bag: 37,400 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon Travel Bag: 44,000 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon Coin Purse: 7,700 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon Pouch: 11,000 yen
Pokémon iPhone 11 case from Le Pliage® Collection: 9,900 yen yen
Key rings from the Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon: 14,300 yen each
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon scarf: 11,000 yen
Le Pliage® Collection Pokémon (original design) shoulder bag: 20,900 yen
Le Pliage® Cuir Pokémon (numbered) top handle bag: 64,900 yen
Le Pliage® Cuir Pokémon Top Handle Bag: 68,200 yen each
Le Pliage® Cuir Pokémon Top Handle Bag: 78,100 yen each
Le Pliage® Cuir Pokémon Backpacks: 84,700 yen each
Le Pliage® Cuille Pokémon Travel Bag: 130,900 yen each

Sales Locations and Dates:

Longchamp La Maison Omotesando, Longchamp La Maison Ginza and Longchamp official online store will sell the product from October 9th, 2020.
Pokémon Center Shibuya and Pokémon Center Online are scheduled to start selling them on October 14th, 2020.

Pop-up stores:
Laforet Harajuku from October 14th, 2020 to October 26th, 2020
Hankyu Umeda from October 14th, 2020 to October 20th, 2020
JR Nagoya Takashimaya from October 14th, 2020 to October 20th, 2020

Promotional Video:

Sources: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000028.000017782.html, https://www.longchamp.com/us/en/longchamp-Pokémon/ and https://www.Pokémon.co.jp/goods/2020/10/201009_fa01.html

Niantic has announced that during the Pokémon Spotlight Hours on October 6th, 2020 and October 13th, 2020, special Pikachu wearing the same caps worn by Ash will be appear in the wild in Pokémon GO.

Encounter special Pikachu wearing one of Ash’s caps during Pokémon Spotlight Hour!

Trainers, Pokémon Spotlight Hour will take place every Tuesday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time during the month of October.

For the Pokémon Spotlight Hours on October 6 and October 13, special Pikachu wearing the same caps worn by Ash, the protagonist of the Pokémon anime series, will be appearing in the wild! Other special bonuses will also be active.

On Tuesday, October 6, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, Pikachu wearing the World Cap worn by Ash in the ongoing anime series Pokémon Journeys: The Series will be available in Pokémon GO for the first time! You’ll also earn twice the XP for catching Pokémon.

On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, Pikachu wearing the Original Cap worn by Ash in previous series will be returning to Pokémon GO! You’ll also earn twice the Candy for catching Pokémon.

Be sure to jot down these dates so you don’t miss out on adding these special behatted Pikachu to your team!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/spotlight-oct20/

Niantic is celebrating its 5th anniversary and to help promote it, limited-time bonuses and an exclusive Timed Research will be available on Sunday, October 4th, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.

Celebrate Niantic’s fifth birthday with a special event!

Trainers, Happy birthday, Niantic! In celebration of Niantic’s fifth birthday in just a few days, you’ll be able to enjoy limited-time bonuses and exclusive Timed Research.

Date + Time
Sunday, October 4, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time

Features

• Complete the Niantic Birthday Event Timed Research during the event period to receive an Incense, an Egg Incubator, a Lucky Egg, a Fast TM, a Charged TM, a Star Piece, and more!
• Team GO Rocket Balloons will be appearing more often than usual!

Bonuses

• 2× Lucky Egg duration
• 2× Star Piece duration
• 2× Catch XP
• 2× Hatch XP
• 1/2 Hatch Distance for Eggs placed into Incubators during the event

To kick off the celebrations, a 1 PokéCoin Niantic birthday event box featuring 30 Ultra Balls will be available in the shop from Saturday, October 3, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Monday, October 5, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. Additionally, be on the lookout for a surprise “party favor” giveaway happening on Niantic’s official channels during the week following Niantic’s birthday!

Celebrate Niantic’s fifth birthday with us! Whether you’ve been playing Niantic games from the very beginning or started with Pokémon GO, there’s much to enjoy during the Niantic birthday event! Let’s GO!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/niantic-birthday-event-2020/