UPDATE: Niantic has released the following statement to IGN, noting that it has now removed legendary Pokemon from the accounts of players who have them:
” We recently noticed that a few Legendary Pokemon got into a few accounts when they shouldn’t have, To preserve the game’s integrity and as a measure of fairness, we have rectified the situation and revoked the legendary Pokemon from the Trainers’ accounts.”
Legendaries aren’t supposed to be in Pokemon Go yet. Niantic clearly has other things to clear up and fix. Yet, a couple has shown up with an Articuno that appears incredibly authentic. Matt and Kaitlyn Covey of Ohio claim that the developer gifted her the legendary ice bird, and have shared video footage and screenshots proving they have the character in the game.
This all started when Kaitlyn’s husband, Matt, posted a video to Facebook ’s Dayton Area Pokemon Go! group. It showed her 1589 CP Articuno holding a position in the Eagle Bais on Field & Stream gym in Ohio. The couple even hosted a Twitch livestream, showing the bird in-game with audio and producing the alleged email in which Niantic said it would give them the legendary. Though, admittedly, hacking the game could provide a similar result. In addition, the purported email from Niantic refers to it as “Articundo,” not “Articuno.”
Niantic has also weighed in on this Articuno sighting. A representative told Geek.com that it is investigating the Pokemon Go legendary, doesn’t have an immediate answer, and specifically said, “it’s either a spoof or someone hacked the game.”
What do you think? I’m suspicious, mainly because of the spelling error. I think that’s cause for concern. This Articuno does look more authentic than a mere Photoshop job, so maybe it’s an elaborate hack?