Pokemon Go Might Be Adding Fitness Goals

Pokemon Go wants to pump YOU up...or at least encourage players to walk extra kilometers in exchange for more prizes.

Yesterday, the popular mobile game launched a new update that supposedly contained only "bug fixes." However, as is commonplace with mobile games, data miners immediately cracked into the update once it was out in the wild and found some intriguing pieces of code that hints at future events.

The biggest surprise is the addition of a whole new "fitness goal" program, designed to get players walking. As the system stands now, players will have three set distances to walk each week. If they meet those goals, they'll be rewarded with prizes of some kind.

Studies have found that Pokemon Go is good for player's health, as the game encourages players to walk and have social interactions with other players. And while Niantic has acknowledged the supposed health benefits of playing the game, this marks the first time that the game will give players a real challenge related to fitness.

Pokemon Go does have several other mechanics related to walking set distances, which has led players to speculate that these new weekly challenges could be a little more challenging. If players already have to walk 5 KM to 10 KM to hatch an egg, these fitness goals could require players to walk even longer distances.

Of course, this fitness goal feature hasn't gone live yet, and it's possible that Pokemon Go could scrap the program before it ever goes live. It wouldn't be the first time that players have found intriguing items in the code that were eventually scrapped or benched before they go live.

The new Pokemon Go update will hit Android and Apple stores in the coming days. We'll have up to date coverage on any big announcements made once the update goes live to all players.