After years of waiting and begging Niantic to put him in the game, the Gen 3 chameleon Pokemon Kecleon is finally in Pokemon Go, and players love it!
Pokemon Go is a unique experience for fans of the franchise as it doesn’t subscribe to any one regional Pokedex. Instead, ‘Mon from every generation are cycled in and out of the game routinely to keep the pool of catchable monsters fresh.
In addition to rotating encounters, Niantic also releases Pokemon from each generation in batches. While there are over 1,000 Pokemon in existence in the franchise, not all of them have made it into Pokemon Go just yet. In fact, there are still Pokemon from Generations 3 onward that still haven’t made their debut.
One Pokemon, in particular, has been a hot topic since Gen 3 Pokemon started to spill into the mobile monster collector. Kecleon, the mischievous chameleon Pokemon, is one of the most requested Pokemon by the community, and now it’s finally here!
IT’S REAL!!! 👀 Kecleon is FINALLY in Pokémon Go KEKW 🦎 #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/TPp7dDCu0X
— FleeceKing (@ItsFleeceKing) January 7, 2023
Kecleon steals the show following January Community Day
On January 7, 2023, players enjoyed another fun-filled Community Day featuring the Gen 6 grass starter Chespin. But the real fun would begin following the three-hour event as Kecleon finally made its debut.
Leading up to this release, fans often theorized how encountering Kecleon would work. In the mainline games, a Silph Scope is required to reveal the invisible Pokemon. So, maybe players would need a similar item. Or perhaps it would appear in a mirage-like state, barely visible but still tappable.
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In the end, Niantic opted for a unique encounter method similar to Smeargle. But instead of taking photos, players can see the camo chameleon stuck to Pokestop, and players can encounter them by spinning them off.
To say players love this encounter method is an understatement.
It appears that Kecleon will make its debut after Chespin Community Day. Invisible Kecleon will appear rarely at PokeStops and prevent Trainers from spinning it. After it jumps off the disc, the Kecleon will appear on the map and can be encountered. pic.twitter.com/EjryB5dVwu
— Leek Duck 🦆 (@LeekDuck) January 7, 2023
Moments after Community Day concluded Twitter was flooded with the discovery of Kecleon. While it had been added to the game’s files in updates prior, there was no word from Niantic about the debut of Kecleon.
After years of waiting, players’ patience finally paid off, and they were rewarded with another fun encounter method. With Hoenn Tour on the horizon, it won’t be long until Shiny hunters have a new elusive target in their sights.