Pokemon Go's Upcoming Feature Will Make it Easier to Catch Rare Pokemon

Niantic Labs wants to make sure people remain hooked to its augmented reality game Pokemon Go. The company is planning to release a new feature that will give players bonuses for earning medals based on catching Pokemon of a certain type.

The feature will increase the chance for players to catch rare Pokemon. As you reach higher up in a particular tier (Kindler, Psychic, Gardener, etc.) you will receive more bonuses to catch rare Pokemon of that particular type. This means that catching more Pokemon of the same kind will improve your odds to find the more uncommon ones. Niantic hopes that the feature will make catching common Pokemon a little more exciting.

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Niantic details the new update, saying, "these new bonuses will give you a better chance of capturing Pokémon with a related type. For example, as you reach a higher tier for the Kindler Medal, your bonus to catch Fire-type Pokémon such as Charmander, Vulpix and Ponyta increases."

The response to the new feature has been tepid after Niantic posted the details on social media sites as players were hoping for other improvements like tracking Pokemon, and training in gyms, or introduce trading.

While Pokemon Go is still a fairly new game, having burst into the scene in July, reports have suggested that the popularity of this gaming sensation has dropped. The game encourages the player to travel around in the real world and catch virtual Pokemon. Initially, the world was hooked to the novelty of an augmented reality game combined with the popularity of the Pokemon franchise.

But Niantic has maintained that the company still has big plans for the game which will hold its user base. At the TechCrunch Disrupt in September Niantic CEO John Hanke said, "It's always been the intent to gradually introduce more Pokémon into the experience over time. It's a natural way to keep the game fresh. Some Pokémon are highly coveted and people are going to be really excited when they show up in the game."

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Niantic is yet to reveal when the new feature will roll out.