Niantic targets Pokémon Go PvP by end of 2018

One of the key differences between Pokémon Go and other Pokémon titles is PvP battling isn't a feature of the mobile game. Yet this may soon change, as Niantic has hinted a PvP mode will come to Pokémon Go later this year.

In an interview with Polish publication Gram, Anne Beuttenmüller - Niantic's head of product marketing in the EMEA region - stated Niantic is currently "working on the PvP mode". A Google translation of the article also reveals this mode is "the next thing that [Niantic] want to add," and PvP should be with us "at the end of this year".

Apparently Niantic is keen to focus on improving the social elements of the mobile game, as in Beuttenmüller's words, "it's all about friends". In particular, the developer wishes to improve on its latest feature, Pokémon trading, although no details have been given on how exactly Niantic plans to do this. Beuttenmüller did, however, detail some of the changes set for Pokémon Go's friends list: the ability to "add a note to your friend" to help players remember real names, and the ability to "segregate your friends list". Personally, I plan on using this to order my friends into groups based on who gives me the most gifts. Thanks, Niantic!

Despite the news on the PvP mode's development, we unfortunately have little information on what battling will look like in practice. On the r/Nintendo subreddit, fans have speculated as to whether Niantic will create a new battling system for PvP, as some are concerned the current gameplay system will amount to "who can tap the screen the fastest with the Pokémon that has a higher number". Eurogamer has asked Niantic for comment, but for now, it seems Pokémon Go fans will have to wait a while before finding out how to get their battle on.