Elsewhere in gaming-on-the-go: 'Pokemon Go' introduces month-long event featuring classic monsters; 'Forza' races onto phones; and 'PUBG Mobile' intros new additions.
Mobile Games Hotspot is a curated weekly roundup of the top stories in gaming on-the-go.
Pokemon Go is returning to its roots with a new month-long event focused on monsters originally introduced in each generation of the long-running franchise. By the end of the month, each of the first four Pokemon regions will have had a spotlight with different challenges and bonuses.
The Throwback Challenge starts with Pokemon first found in the Kanto region. A limited timed research task features nine stages of different objectives, each offering a Generation 1 Pokemon as a reward with the final task awarding players a Mewtwo that knows the move Psystrike. During this week, Venonat will have its shiny variation released and Generation 1 Pokemon will hatch out of eggs more frequently. The Kanto-themed week began on May 1 and ends this Friday.
From May 8-15, the Johto region gets to shine with another timed research task that ends with an encounter with the legendary Ho-Oh monster. Outside the increased spawns of Generation 2 Pokemon, shiny Dunsparce can now be found in the wild. For the week of May 16, Generation 3 Pokemon from the Hoenn region appear more frequently, including the new shiny Skitty. The timed research task for this week grants players a Groudon. For the final week, beginning on May 22, the Sinnoh region from Generation 4 is featured alongside the release of shiny Glameow. Complete the timed research task to get Cresselia.
This Saturday also brings back Research Day, granting Snubbul the spotlight. Instead of asking players to spin Poke Stops to earn research tasks featuring the pink fairy Pokemon, users will receive 50 timed research tasks automatically to help trainers play at home. On May 17, Incense Day returns, a special event where six hours of Incense usage will increase the spawn rate of Carvanha. Each hour will alternate between spotlighting water type Pokemon and dark type Pokemon.
Here's what else is happening in the world of mobile games:
PUBG Mobile Intros New Additions
Version 0.18.0 of PUBG Mobile is here and with it comes a host of new changes and additions. The Miramar map now has an oasis placed in the northern part of the map along with new housing areas and roads. A racetrack that runs through the entire map has been added along with the Golden Mirado, a new vehicle that only spawns once in any given match. The P90 weapon is now available in the Arena mode for close quarters combat. This update also adds support for the next Royale Pass for Season 13, available on May 13.
Forza Races Onto Phones
Forza Street, a spin-off of Microsoft's long-running racing series, is now available on iOS and Android devices. The game is a renamed version of the already-launched Miami Street on Windows 10.
New Racer in Mario Kart Tour
Two new racers join the roster in Mario Kart Tour this week as a new two week tour just kicked off. The Flower Tour introduces Daisy (Fairy) as a new spotlight character alongside Monty Mole who makes its first playable debut in the series. In addition to the usual rewards given through the monthly Gold Pass, this tour features RMX Choco Island 1, a remixed version of the track of the same name.
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Sees Best Month
March's Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch made quite an impact on its mobile counterpart, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, as the mobile game saw its best month in player spending since it launched more than two years ago. The month of April saw global player spending hit $7.9 million, a new high that surpassed the previously held record of $7.8 million in August of 2019. Pocket Camp's numbers have been on a steady rise since December, likely as a result of the growing anticipation of the release of New Horizons on the Switch. The number of downloads saw a severe spike in March after gathering 4.5 million installs, a dramatic difference from the 528,000 installs from February. April continued the rising trend with 7.1 million downloads. Pocket Camp also surpassed $150 million in lifetime player spending.
