It has been over three years since Pokemon Go first released, and the game continues to be one of the most popular and continuously played mobile games on the market. The continuation of this success has largely been helped by Niantic’s commitment to providing new features and events to the game, such as the recent One Piece crossover event. Some of the most well-received updates have been related to Pokemon media sources outside of the mobile game, such as the Alolan Pokemon forms. Now, another iconic piece of Pokémon lore comes to the game as Team Rocket finally makes a big appearance.

Trainers, we have an incoming message from Professor Willow: “I’ve noticed an alarming number of reports from Trainers who have found PokéStops that look…discolored?” Trainers, please report any PokéStops that look different with #PokemonGO. pic.twitter.com/oxpXR7ZlSm

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 22, 2019

As shared on their official Twitter account, Pokemon Go has introduced Team Rocket to the game for the first time. Players who open up the game will find that certain Pokestops in their area have gone dark and have a red R above them. If a player is to go to these stops, they will encounter a Team Rocket grunt who has taken over the gym.

This encounter will then trigger a battle with the Team Rocket member, in which up to three of their Pokemon will have to be defeated. If victorious, Team Rocket will leave one of their Shadow Pokemon behind, which the player can attempt to catch. When captured, these Pokemon have their CP greatly reduced and will likely need to be purified using candy and dust before they can return to normal. So far, Snorlax, Bulbusaur, Squirtle, Charmander and a few others have been spotted in shadow form, but others may come in the future. This is quite a clever way to bring the classic Pokemon villains to the game. Hopefully, they don’t blast away any time soon.

What do you guys think about Team Rocket being added to the game? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Pokemon news, such as the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield Nintendo Switch Lite console, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!