Pokémon Go Team Rocket Countdown Hints At New Challenges

A Team Rocket countdown timer has appeared on the Pokémon Go YouTube Page, and it is set to conclude on May 18, 2023, at 9:00 AM ET. When this happens, a video will drop on the channel, showing off a new challenge set to launch in Pokémon Go.

The only details that have been shared by the countdown timer are that it has something to do with Team Rocket and how Giovanni has called for there to be a summit between him and the various Pokémon Go leaders. Many fans believe it likely has something to do with the previously datamined Shadow Raids that have been hinted at for several months.

Team Rocket Issues Challenge to Pokemon Go Players

So far, the only description of the Team Rocket video on Pokémon Go’s YouTube Page is “A New Challenge is here,” with the eerie red and black lights with the Team Rocket logo. We’ll be able to talk about the official details when they drop, but we have a good idea of what this could be.

Based on previous data mining efforts by the PokeMiners team, it looks like this could be Pokémon Go’s official announcement of the Shadow Raids. These raids will feature distinct Shadow Pokémon for players to battle, and it might offer a better way for players to seek out specific Shadow Pokémon they want to catch rather than trying to track down a specific Team Rocket character.

There are no official details yet, so we are guessing, but it seems to line up with Giovanni calling a summit between the other Pokémon Go Team leaders. It could be his way of making Shadow Pokémon appear more frequently, and we might receive a handful of special Shadow Pokémon that make brief appearances in the future.

Hopefully, Niantic listens to the community and makes Shadow Raids more readily available than they have with other new features, such as the Elite Raids, which have received a good amount of negative feedback due to being full of bugs, hard to find, and difficult to complete.