Pokémon Go will get matchmaking for online battles next year – update

Pokémon Go will get matchmaking for online battles next year. From ‘early 2020’ players worldwide can be linked together for pvp battles. Currently, this is only possible if players are friends in the game, or if players are close to each other.

Developer Niantic gives little information about the function. In a blog post, the company says the feature will be called “GO Battle League” and that it will be released “early 2020”. With GO Battle League, players can walk around the real world to ‘access a battle’ with a player over the internet. A match system is used for this, and players can increase in rank by fighting more.

At the moment it is only possible for players to fight against each other if they are friends in the game. That also works remotely. Players can fight against anyone locally, by scanning a QR code. With the addition of matchmaking, Niantic wants to make the battles more accessible for more players. Details will follow later in a video, according to the company, but when that is is not yet known.

Update, 11:45 AM: Online battles have been possible for some time, but a matchmaking system is not yet in the game. The article has been adapted accordingly.