Pokémon Go is set to launch its summer events with a big red truck touring seven European cities, starting in the UK next month.
Manchester will be the tour's first stop, followed by visits to London, Paris, Valencia, Berlin, Den Haag in the Netherlands, and finally Cologne, just in time for Gamescom.
Players traveling to host cities can access a range of bonuses near the truck, including increased spawns of Phanphy, Venipede, and Wooloo with boosted Shiny rates, plus raids for a summer-costumed Pikachu that may feature a Location Background. Timed Research will reward participants with Varoom—the engine-like Pokémon. And, of course, there's the chance to see the big red Pokémon Go truck up close.
Across each host city, additional bonuses will activate, including 3-hour lures and up to 5 Special Trades per day. Nationwide, Timed Research promoting the upcoming Road Trip will also award the same summer-costumed Pikachu.
Earlier this week, Pokémon Go announced an unprecedented $20 event pass featuring the game's first Golden Bottle Cap—an item that lets players max out a Pokémon's stats to a rare 100%. Ahead of its debut, fans raised concerns this could push the game toward pay-to-win mechanics, a point director Michael Steranka explored in depth during our exclusive interview.
Separately, IGN spoke with Steranka about this year's biggest change: Pokémon Go is now owned by Monopoly Go! maker Scopely, a company backed by Saudi-founded Savvy Games. How will this shift impact the game? IGN posed that very question to Steranka as well.
