Pokemon Go Adds Shiny Mew

It looks like players will have an opportunity to capture an ultra-rare version of the already rare Pokemon Mew in Pokemon Go.

A dataminer has reported that Pokemon Go developers have added 3D assets for a Shiny version of Mew onto the game's servers. Mew will officially be added to the game tomorrow as part of a major update that includes "Field Research" quests.

Shiny Pokemon have alternate coloration than their non-Shiny variants and are usually prized for their extreme rarity. A Shiny Mew is a light blue instead of pink. Interestingly, the only way to obtain a non-hacked Shiny Mew is via the Japanese version of Pokemon Emerald.

Since Mew isn't live in Pokemon Go, we don't know how rare the Pokemon will be, even in non-Shiny form. Players will be able to get Mew by completing a series of quests labelled as "Special Research" starting tomorrow.

Pokemon Go has been on a Shiny binge for months. Prior to Halloween 2017, Pokemon Go only had Shiny versions of the Pikachu and Magikarp families of Pokemon. Pokemon Go has since added Shiny versions of dozens of Pokemon, usually in conjunction with the game's latest event.

Just last weekend, Pokemon Go added Shiny versions of the Bulbasaur family as part of the game's latest Community Day event. Game developers also recently added Shiny versions of Togepi, Togetic, Magby, Magmar, Wynaut, Wobbuffet, and Lugia earlier this month.

The full list of Shiny Pokemon also includes: Sableye, Shuppet, Banette, Duskull, Dusclops, Mawile, Absol, Snorunt, Glalie, Aron, Lairon, Aggron, Swablu, Altaria, Luvdisc, Poochyena, Mightyena, Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite.

Mew might not be the only Shiny Pokemon coming to Pokemon Go. Pokemon Go also has Shiny versions of its Legendary Pokemon currently loaded on the server and ready for release. If the Field Research quests really do allow players to finally find Legendary Pokemon in the wild, it's possible that Pokemon Go will release Shiny Legendary Pokemon as well.

We'll have more coverage of the new Research feature tomorrow when it officially goes live. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we see a Shiny blue version of Mew dart across our phone screens!