Pokemon Go's New Loading Screen Gets in the Christmas Spirit

Pokemon Go's next loading screen is both festive and shows off a ton of new Pokemon.

The loading screen, which will go live as part of the game's next update, shows several "Gen 3" Pokemon decorating a Christmas tree and opening up presents. You can check out the full image below:

The new Pokemon seen in the screen includes Spheal, Seedot, and Wingull, three Pokemon that haven't appeared in any promotional material yet. While we assumed that Seedot would appear as it was a pre-evolved form of Shiftry (one of the Pokemon seen in today's Gen 3 announcement video), Spheal and Wingull weren't expected to be part of the first wave of "Gen 3" Pokemon that will appear in the game later this week.

Pokemon Go hasn't officially announced the game's next update (which is version 0.85.1 on Android) but it's already been added to APK sites and should "officially" appear on the Apple and Android App stores in the next day or so. The update will likely include the final pieces needed to officially add "Gen 3" Pokemon into the game.

Niantic announced the launch of Pokemon Go's next phase earlier today, which contains a couple of major surprises. In addition to new Pokemon, Pokemon Go will also have a dynamic weather system that increases the spawn rates and strength of certain Pokemon in various kinds of weather. The dynamic weather system will officially be added in a second update this month.