Elsewhere in gaming-on-the-go: Riot Games gears up for 'Legends of Runeterra' launch at end of month; classic real-time strategy title 'Company of Heroes' coming to phones; and MMORPG 'Lineage 2: Revolution' gets a big update.
Mobile Games Hotspot is a curated weekly roundup of the top stories in gaming on-the-go.
Leaderboards are coming to Pokemon Go as the location-based, AR mobile game continues to implement new play-at-home options amid the coronavirus quarantine.
Starting on April 10, leaderboards for the online GO Battle league will go live at the same time the Ultra League transitions to the Master League. Leaderboards will show the top five hundred trainers in the world, including their nicknames, teams, ranks, ratings and total matches. Leaderboards are updated daily and each ranking is based on the previous day's in-game ratings for players ranked level seven and up. Any player with active disciplinary action or a nickname deemed inappropriate will not be included.
A new event known as Go Battle Day has also been unveiled. Instead of hosting the usual monthly Community Day where a specific Pokemon has a boosted spawn rate for three hours, the Go Battle Day will feature a specific Pokemon available through rewards in the Go Battle League. On April 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time for players, the Pokemon Marill will have an increased chance to appear through an encounter after winning battles. Marill will also appear as a guaranteed Basic Reward after your first and third wins. Players who use a Premium Battle Pass will guarantee a Marill encounter after every win.
From April 9-16, players will have an increased chance to find Pokemon such as Exeggcute, Chansey, Mareep, Marill and Torchic in the wild. Flower-wearing versions of Pikachu and Buneary will also be introduced.
Here's what else is happening in the world of mobile games:
Fortnite Creators Unveil New Game
Spyjinx, a new spy-based mobile game created through a collaboration between Epic Games and J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Games, was unveiled earlier this week. Described as a "unique mix of action-strategy gameplay, RPG character development and head-to-head multiplayer, Spyjinx will see players form unique squads, create hideouts and invade other spy bases as they move up in the game's own league. No release date at the moment, but an iOS beta test is currently live for those in Malaysia, with Australia soon to follow.
Company of Heroes Coming to Mobile
A port of Relic Entertainment's real-time strategy game Company of Heroes is set to release on Android and iOS later this year. Feral Interactive is behind this version of the classic RTS which will include touch controls allowing you to tap units and select commands from a pop-up wheel menu. Traditional controls will also be included along with other quality-of-life updates that improve on the original, first released back in 2006. An iPad version was already released back in February as a premium download for $13.99.
Legends of Runeterra Sets Release Date
Riot Games continues its expansion outside its League of Legends franchise with the digital card game Legends of Runeterra. An open beta for the game started on January 24 and is now set to end as the game gears up for its April 30 launch. The launch will allow players to keep everything they've purchased in the beta season and the base game will debut with over 120 new cards and a new region.
Lineage 2: Revolution Gets an Update
The Battle Mastery system has made its way to Lineage 2: Revolution through a new update. The mobile MMORPG will now allow players to earn Battle Mastery Points by starting a new mission dubbed the Awakening Quest. These points can be used to acquire stats by choosing a specific set of active and passive skills. Reaching the highest level of Battle Mastery will net you an additional active skill. The new update also includes the ability to transfer the upgrade status of an existing Soul Crystal to a new one of the same type. Two new limited time events, Get it! Black Bear Event and the Bittersweet Extraction Pit, have also begun.
