Pokemon Go dataminers uncover shinies, genders, costumes, and trainer customization

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Today's Pokemon Go update brought more than just berry-infused Frappuccinos from Starbucks; dataminers have dug deep into the most recent patch and found code further suggesting we'll get Gen 2 Pokemon soon, as well as expanded customization options and even the beginnings of a breeding system.

The news comes from Pokemon Go fan site The Silph Road, which claims to have uncovered gender markers for Pokemon (though there's currently no way to view whether a given Pokemon is male or female). This could be Niantic preparing to add Pokemon breeding - a much-requested feature - to the game.

The Silph Road also claims to have found code that enables a Pokemon to be shiny. For those who don't know, shiny Pokemon are identical to regular Pokemon, save for their coloring. A shiny Charizard, rather than being the typical orange, is black with red wings, for example. Shiny Pokemon are exceedingly rare, so having one on your team is often considered a prestigious distinction.

More customization appears to be in the works for both Pokemon and trainers. Special costumes may soon be worn by Pokemon, though what these look like is anyone's guess. All we have to go on from the data is that the first costumes will be categorized as "holiday" costumes. Hmmm, if only there were some sort of upcoming holiday this could coincide with…

As for trainers, there appear to be new options for hair, shirt, pants, hat, shoes, eyes, and backpack slots, with customization items being categorized under "new," "sale," "purchasable," and "unlockable" labels. Methinks a cosmetic shop is incoming.

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Sam Prell
Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.