Unexpected Pokemon Game Could Be Coming Soon

The long-awaited Pokemon Sleep could be making an unexpected debut in the near future. A few hours ago, Niantic started its rollout of the new Pokemon Go update. As dataminers started to work their way through the update's code, they discovered several unexpected references to Pokemon Sleep, a project announced by The Pokemon Company way back in 2019. It appears that Niantic is planning for Pokemon Go to have functionality with Pokemon Sleep, with players receiving details on their sleep in the Pokemon Go app along with rewards.

The discovery of Pokemon Sleep code in Pokemon Go is a bit of a surprise, as The Pokemon Company has remained mum on the project for over two years. The game is intended to encourage better sleep behaviors, similar to how Pokemon Go spurred on more physical activity, with a mobile app tracking sleep behavior using an external device placed underneath a user's pillow. After its announcement in 2019 during a press conference, The Pokemon Company went silent on the game despite announcing a 2020 release date. The Pokemon Company's silence led many fans believed meant that the project was quietly discontinued, as they didn't even announce a delay or acknowledged the game in any way. However, The Pokemon Company did register an SSL certificate related to Pokemon Sleep last year, which indicated that the game still seemed to be on the pipeline. 

Keep in mind that Pokemon Go places code related to future projects and features all the time, and this shouldn't be an indication that Pokemon Sleep will be released in the new few weeks, or even the next few months. However, the fact that Niantic seems to be planning some form of integration with the game suggests that they are actively planning on Pokemon Sleep being available to its players eventually, and that means that we might seem the game eventually. 

Are you surprised that Pokemon Sleep might still be a thing? Let us know in the comment section or join our weekly breakdown of all things Pokemon on "A Wild Podcast Has Appeared," ComicBook.com's official Pokemon podcast that airs weekly on Twitch at 12 PM ET on Mondays.