We’ve got exciting news in the Pokémon GO world! It seems Niantic may have actually been listening to everyone’s requests all along. In a recent data mine from the next update, it has been uncovered that the Pokémon buddy system is coming! Soon it won’t just be your dog that you are talking on a walk, it will be your favorite Pokémon as well!

Photo Credit: PokemonGoPocket

What the buddy system means is that you can now choose one Pokémon and “bond” with it, much like Ash bonded with Pikachu. As you walk around, your Pokémon buddy will walk alongside you on screen and award you candy for its species as you stroll.

Here is what we know for sure so far:

The Pokémon GO buddy system will use the same server side distance calculator that we are all familiar with in hatching eggs.
As you walk your buddy Pokémon, you will be rewarded with candy of its species. The amount of candy has not yet been determined.
You can only choose one buddy Pokémon at a time to walk with.
The Pokémon will display on your map next to you as you walk. There are various looks these buddy Pokémon can have: medium size, big size, flying next to you, or resting on your shoulders.
There will be a daily limit on the amount of candy you can receive by walking a specific Pokémon. This has yet to be determined.

Photo Credit: Phandroid

All of these changes are already present in the code base so we can probably expect the buddy system in the next update. We’re super excited about this update because it brings the feel of Pokémon Yellow into the game. It also solves quite a few complaints people have had.

Many people were frustrated with the randomness and luck of being able to level up or evolve rare Pokémon. You may have luckily caught one Snorlax a month or so ago, but have never ran into any more to collect candy. That or you are relying on the egg lottery, hoping and praying for the right Pokémon to pop out of that egg, only to be greeted by another fucking Eevee. With the buddy system, you can put that Dratini on a leash and go walking for a Dragonite! This will likely be a long process, but it is certainly better than hopelessly wandering the country looking for the elusive and likely non-existent Dratini nest.

This update is also good for the game in that it gets back to its core concept: walking. One of the things that makes this game so great is the fact that it gets people out of the house, up on their feet, and exploring their areas! But more and more players have grown tired of going out walking and never finding anything but Pidgeys and Weedles, or trying to hit the egg lottery. This update will allow you to finally grind out those last few candies you need for that Arcanine you thought you could get easily before the nests switched and Growlithe suddenly went MIA.

This update also provides Pokémon GO with somewhat of an endgame. As long as you have at least one of the base Pokémon, you will now be able to grind out any evolution or power level. This is something players can work for long-term; walking for enough candy to evolve and then fully power up evolved Pokémon. It will take a heck of a long time, but this is perfect, as Pokémon GO needed to change its formula to keep players interested.

Another great issue that the buddy system will address is the lack of intimacy with your Pokémon. More on this after the jump…