Team Rocket Returns to Pokemon Go

Team Rocket is invading Pokemon Go for a second time. Earlier today, Pokemon Go confirmed that Team Rocket had returned to the game, just a few days after the villainous team "departed" without warning. Players first noticed Team Rocket's return around 8:30 AM ET, and Pokemon Go confirmed the new feature via Twitter a short time later. Players can find Team Rocket members at discolored PokeStops, and then battle them. Once the Team Rocket Grunt is defeated, players can capture the Shadow Pokemon used by Team Rocket in battle, and then Purify them, which grants them a permanent stats boost.

This time, Team Rocket is appearing in much greater numbers, with much stronger Pokemon than before. While the new Pokemon are beatable, players will need to have a Master League team ready to go in order to defeat these new, tougher Team Rocket grunts. Players should also pay close attention to type match-ups if they want to emerge victorious against these tougher Team Rocket foes.

As part of the new Team Rocket invasion, Pokemon Go also released a new Special Research quest that tasks players with squaring off against the Team Rocket grunts. At this time, we're not sure what the final reward for completing the quest is, but we'll provide updates once players get through the tasks.

Pokemon Go also released a new trailer (seen above) for the Team Rocket invasion. Curiously, the trailer teases Team Rocket leader Giovanni several times, which could mean that he will be added to the game eventually. If Giovanni is added to Pokemon Go, does this mean that other trainers or villains could be added to the game eventually?

Obviously, this is an exciting time for Pokemon Go fans and we'll have continued coverage as new updates become available.