Pokémon GO Rotates Region Exclusives in Nod to Ruby and Sapphire

A couple of region-exclusive creatures have recently moved locations in Pokémon GO, just weeks after being added to the game. Two Pokémon from gen 3, Zangoose and Seviper, have apparently swapped region availability, as reported by the community on The Silph Road.

Initially, players discovered that Zangoose appeared exclusively in the Americas, Africa, and the Arabian peninsula. Seviper, meanwhile, was available only in Australia, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. The opposite now appears to be true, as many players are spotting Zangoose where there were once Seviper, with no trace of the original region-exclusive, and vice versa.

The region-exclusivity and the rotation are nods from the team at Niantic to the original games where the creatures first appeared, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. From gen 3 and up, Zangoose and Seviper’s Pokédex entries have always noted a generations-long blood feud between the two, and that rivalry continues in Pokémon GO.

Another pair of gen 3 region-exclusives, cute Electric types Plusle and Minun, have apparently not swapped locations like their feuding friends. The other region-locked third-generation Pokémon, Relicanth, is also staying put in its remote Pacific Island locations. Perhaps we’ll see more Pokémon moving around in the coming months, but Niantic isn’t saying much. They haven’t even confirmed the switching of region availability with Zangoose and Seviper yet.

Coming next to Pokémon GO should be the Legendary Water-type Kyogre, along with more gen 3 creatures to catch in the wild. Kyogre is expected to appear after January 15th, when the current Legendary Groudon is scheduled to become unavailable in-game.

Pokémon GO is available now for iOS and Android devices.