Pokemon GO Dataminers Find Mega Evolution Update

gamerant.com:

Introduced in the sixth generation of Pokemon games, Mega Evolutions allowed a Pokemon to surpass the traditional 3-stage evolution, giving some well-known creatures a design change, new type, as well as extra power to help their trainers in battle. In 2020, the feature made its way to Pokemon GO, allowing players to buff up certain Pokemon with their mega forms, and encounter stronger Pokemon in Mega Raids, though these feature weren't immediately loved by fans.

The major criticism fans had of Mega Evolutions in Pokemon GO was the grinding it took to Mega Evolve a particular Pokemon. Players would have to acquire and spend a new consumable known as Mega Energy to pull off a Mega Evolution. The initial energy cost for evolving is substantial, with Pokemon GO often pushing players to compete in Mega Raids in order to acquire more Mega Energy. These raids required work from multiple players though, which to many wasn't worth the reward.

Pokemon GO Adds Salandit and Salazzle During Latest Team Rocket Event

Mega Evolutions were seen by players to be not as powerful as their counterparts in the mainline Pokemon games. It seems from a new leak by Pokemon dataminers «Pokeminers» that a change will be coming to Mega Evolutions. According to the leak, a leveling system could be coming to Pokemon GO's Mega Evolutions, similar to that of friends and Pokemon buddies currently in-game. The higher a player's friendship with a given Pokemon, the higher the chance they may be able to skip the Mega Energy cost for evolving.

By possibly removing the cost of Mega Energy in Pokemon GO, the game would require less hoarding of the resource by players. There are also other potential changes coming to Mega Evolutions, including perks that would