Niantic announces a new Pokemon GO update that adds over 80 Gen 2 Pokemon including Cyndaquil, Totodile and Chikorita, along with new gameplay features and items.

Although Pokemon GO was one of the most popular games of last year, becoming the fastest app ever to reach $1 billion, it's not without its faults. In recent months especially, players have bemoaned the lack of new content saying that events such as the Pokemon GO Valentine's Day event aren't substantial enough and, since that's a limited time celebration, doesn't offer any lasting entertainment.

Pokemon GO players will be delighted then that developer Niantic will soon be taking a huge step towards addressing those concerns. Following datamining that suggested that more Gen 2 Pokemon are on the way, the company has now confirmed that more Gen 2 Pokemon will be added in an update later this week. In a press release, Niantic says that fans can expect over 80 Johto region Pokemon from Pokemon Goldand Silver – including Chikorita, Totodile and Cyndaquil – to appear in the wild. There will also be new evolution items that allow players to "evolve their Pokémon into ones that were originally discovered in the Johto region."

This Pokemon GO update also adds the Nanab Berry which slows a Pokemon's movements and Pinap Berry which "doubles the amount of candy received if the next catch attempt succeeds." Meanwhile, players can dress their avatars in new hats, shirts, pants and more (available in the in-game shop).

Moreover, Niantic says that in "support" of the new Pokemon GO update, the Pokemon GO Plus device is being "replenished" at retail locations. This is great news to those disappointed with the stock shortages that made finding the device impossible some months ago, though others will no doubt choose to hold off on buying the hardware as a new, safer version of the Pokemon GO Plus is reportedly in the works (though a retail date for the updated device has not been confirmed.)

It sounds as though this update is just the beginning of Niantic's big plans for the game, too. In the press release Niantic CEO John Hanke says that the team plans to "support" and "evolve" Pokemon GO for "years to come" including new gameplay features, both in-game and live events. and new Pokemon for players to collect and battle with. This follows Hanke's comments from earlier in the week in which he said that Pokemon GO trading and PvP battle features will be added 'soon,' so players have plenty to look forward to.

Pokemon GO is currently available on iOS and Android devices.