Pokémon Go's weekend Genesect event reworked to be playable from home

UPDATE 12:30pm: While it won't come as a huge surprise, Pokémon Go maker Niantic has now officially postponed its Safari Zone events in Liverpool and Philadelphia.

Liverpool Safari Zone was due to take place across the 17-19th April. There are, as you might expect in the current circumstances, no dates yet on when it will be rescheduled for.

As with Pokémon Go's previously-postponed St Louis. Safari Zone event, ticket holders can request a full refund, or their tickets will simply tide over for whenever the event is rescheduled for. In the meantime, if you do hang onto your ticket, the event's in-game activities (its spawns and research quest) will still be activated for ticket holders over the event's original dates if you are able to play safely at home.

You can request a refund in-game via the app's support page - there's a full guide to this and FAQ here.

UPDATE 12:00pm: Pokémon Go maker Niantic has reworked this weekend's A Drive to Investigate ticketed story event to be playable by yourself, from the comfort of your own home.

It's the latest major change to Pokémon Go, as Niantic reworks its outdoors-focused app to still be playable in our new self-isolating lifestyles.

Writing on Twitter last night, Niantic confirmed its weekly Raid Hour event, which encouraged people to gather to tackle tough bosses together in groups, has also been cancelled for the foreseeable future.

A Drive to Investigate was originally set to encourage players to get out and about, catching and trading Pokémon themed around the Mythical Pokémon Genesect's various attack types. It's a similar idea to last November's Regigigas event, where players paid up to get early access to a special creature alongside a helping of other in-game rewards.

Now, with spawns already increased and a box of Pokémon-spawning Incense available basically for free, A Drive to Investigate's quest steps have been reworked to ensure you won't need to leave your sofa.

"Trainers, as we're prioritising updates to Pokémon Go features and experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings, the Special Research story event 'A Drive to Investigate' has been designed to be playable without group gameplay," Niantic stated.

After fans questioned whether "without group gameplay" indeed meant "solo", Niantic confirmed to Pokémon Go YouTuber ZoëTwoDots that this was indeed the case.

"Confirmed from Niantic," she wrote on Twitter. "The entire Genesect quest can be played from HOME! No raids, no PokéSstop spins. Stay safe, make safe choices."

An event ticket costs £7.99 and nets you a bundle of in-game items worth its price (including Premium Battle Passes, Incubators, TMs, Incense, Star Pieces and exclusive avatar items). It begins this Friday, 20th March and, while there's no time limit to its questline, you just need to start playing before the now-extended finishing time of Thursday, 26th March.

Niantic has rolled out many other changes to Pokémon Go over the past week designed to make it as easy as possible to play while at home. The game's Go Battle League, which now offers an alternative way to obtain Legendaries instead of raiding, can be accessed without the need to walk or pay. Spawns have been boosted, and Incense now lasts a full hour. Meanwhile, Community Day events and invitation-only EX Raids have been halted.