The Pokemon GO social media pages have been especially busy these last 24 hours, revealing not only the Ultra Bonus rewards, but also confirming when the first Generation 5 Pokemon will debut in the popular mobile game. As confirmed by the official Pokemon GO Twitter page, the Pokemon GO Gen 5 release date is September 16. However, it stopped short of confirming which Gen 5 Pokemon will be added to Pokemon GO once September 16 rolls around.
When it comes to the first Gen 5 Pokemon in Pokemon GO, it seems like the obvious choice would be to start out with the Gen 5 starter Pokemon. That includes the grass-type Snivy, the fire-type Tepig, and the water-type Oshawott. It also wouldn't be surprising to see the typical normal-type Pokemon like Patrat and Lillipup debut in the game at the same time as well. Some of the more exotic-looking Gen 5 Pokemon will likely be added at a later date, and if past legendary raid battles are anything to go by, the Gen 5 legendary Pokemon will be added one month at a time.
As for when other Gen 5 Pokemon will be added to Pokemon GO, it seems likely that Niantic will wait for seasonal events. For example, when the annual Pokemon GO Halloween event rolls around in October, Niantic might add the Gen 5 ghost-type Pokemon to the game, which would include the likes of Litwick, Yamask, Frillish, and Golett. And when the Pokemon GO Christmas event starts in December, we might see the addition of Gen 5 ice-type Pokemon, like Cubchoo and Vanillite.
Regardless of how Niantic starts adding Gen 5 Pokemon to Pokemon GO, it should take quite awhile before all of the Gen 5 Pokemon are added to the game. After all, there are still missing Gen 4 Pokemon in Pokemon GO, and Gen 5 includes more Pokemon than any other generation of Pokemon history. In fact, it could take years before all of the Gen 5 Pokemon are added to the game, and it's highly likely that we'll see some Gen 6 Pokemon introduced before all of the Gen 5 Pokemon have been added.
However, consistently having new Pokemon to catch should keep Pokemon GO interesting, especially for hardcore players who may have already completed their Pokedex. We'll learn just how extensive the first wave of Gen 5 Pokemon will be come September 16.
Pokemon GO is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.