Pokemon GO update: the new weather system will not be adding any bonuses to seasonal events

Pokemon GO logo surrounded by wrapped Christmas presents and Pikachu
Pokemon GO - Christmas Event 2016

Pokemon GO's latest update introduced some new Pokemon and a fresh weather system. The new Pokemon hail from the Sapphire and Ruby games. Pokemon GO Christmas event has been confirmed.

Pokemon GO has a shiny new update, and it's not about the monsters from the Sapphire and Ruby games. I mean, it is but not all of it is about the new Pocket Critters.

The update also brought about a new weather system which will boost certain Pokemon and increase Stardust rewards depending on the current weather. This new system won't affect every aspect of the game.

NianticShiftry standing on a branch in Pokemon GOPokemon GO

The upcoming Pokemon GO events will be immune to the new Weather Effects. That means the Weather Effects will not grant any extra boosts or bonuses to the Seasonal events in the future.

Niantic also has zero plans for events dedicated to a specific season. So there's some bad news if you happen to live somewhere with less cyclical weather patterns.

Matt Slemon, a developer for Niantic, said: "The most important things for us when it comes to the Weather feature is that we enforce it is an AR feature. This isn’t something we want to make up, so we don’t want to virtualise snow for instance, in Los Angeles."

NianticThree different weather conditions in Pokemon GOPokemon GO

The team essentially wants the weather in the game to reflect the weather outside. Monster sightings might increase during the special events but that will have nothing to do with the Weather System.

Some Christmas news: Pokemon GO Christmas 2017 is officially happening. The event won't launch until 20 December. This year's Christmas event will probably build on its predecessor, and since we still don't exactly know what bonuses it will grant, here is an announcement Niantic made for the last year's event:

"Don’t miss out on an increased chance to hatch a Togepi (and other Pokemon)! Starting the morning of 25 December, 2016, and through the afternoon of January 3, 2017 (PST), PokeStops will award one single-use Incubator each day after your first Photo Disc spin. As you visit PokeStops during this time period, there will be a greater chance of finding Eggs that hatch Togepi, Pichu, and several other recently found Pokemon, originally discovered in the Johto region. Special Pikachu wearing festive hats will also be staying around a bit longer! You are more likely to find these limited-edition Pikachu during the time period of this celebration.

NianticTwo girls and a guy looking up, smiling.Pokemon GO
