'Pokemon Go' No Longer Has Zombie-Eyed Pokemon

Pokemon Go has finally done away with several sprites that make Pokemon look glassy-eyed or dead.

Yesterday afternoon, the game developers switched out 3D image assets for several Pokemon, including Bulbasaur and Dragonite. While the new Pokemon sprites don't look that different, they did fix a weird glassy-eyed effect that made many Pokemon look like they were either blind or lifeless.

The full list of Pokemon changed in the recent server-side update includes:

• Bulbasaur
• Ivysaur
• Venusaur
• Charmander
• Charmeleon
• Poliwag
• Kangaskhan
• Lapras
• Eevee
• Porygon
• Dragonite
• Bayleef
• Meganium
• Totodile
• Feraligatr
• Natu
• Politoed
• Tyrogue
• Miltank

Almost all of these Pokemon have some sort of oval-like eye with a flat bottom, which seems to have triggered the weird effect in the old models. The glass-eyed effect first appeared in July after an update.

Interestingly, a placeholder image that looks like a Substitute Doll was also tweaked. This image occasionally popped up on top of gyms by accident, but players haven't seen it in months since Pokemon Go updated its gym mechanic. It could mean that the game is preparing to add "Substitute" as a usable move (which would be interesting and very different from Pokemon Go's other attacks) or a developer was simply doing some cleaning on the backend.

In the past, Pokemon Go has modified image assets right before releasing a batch of new Shiny Pokemon. However, none of the Pokemon listed above currently have shiny alternates found in the game. It could be a sign that Pokemon Go is preparing for something, although it's just as possible that a game developer finally had a chance to fix this harmless visual glitch.

Pokemon Go did just announce a new Equinox event, and many think it could be a forerunner for the game's next major update. We'll have more coverage of Pokemon Go in the days ahead.

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