Pokémon Go looks set to add Gen 8's Dynamax mechanic
So near, so Galar.
Pokémon Go has dropped a gigantic hint it will add Gen 8's game-changing Dynamax mechanic in the not-too-distant future.
The tease, which takes centre stage in the game's new 8th Anniversary artwork, shows a Dynamaxed Wartortle alongside the eight generation's trio of Starter Pokémon: Grooky, Scorbunny and Sobble.
Last month, Pokémon Go director Michael Steranka suggested to Eurogamer that a long-awaited release of the franchise's eighth generation would come with a focus on "what makes those Pokémon special".
Pokémon Go has so far largely skipped over the launch of Gen 8 species to focus more on Gen 9 critters from the more recent Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Now, fans are clamouring for the game to get back to filling out its Gen 8 Pokédex - and this year's anniversary artwork appears to suggest it will do just this.
"We've definitely been thinking a lot about Gen 8 for a while in Pokémon Go," Steranka told me last month. "Nothing to share right now in terms of the timing or launch strategy there, but something we're always trying to do is play homage to the source material and do right by that source material.
"Know that as the team is thinking about Gen 8 Pokémon, they're thinking about Galar, they're thinking about what makes those Pokémon special, and when it's time for them to make their debut in Pokémon Go, it will make sense."
A fair word of caution - Pokémon Go's anniversary artwork often teases unreleased Pokémon species and characters that still take months, if not years, to arrive. In some cases, players are still waiting for things like Mega Mewtwo (teased three years back).
"Sometimes in that there's a bit of a peer into the future beyond that year and sometimes it might be a little bit more aspirational than we're ready to go for," Steranka told me, discussing the anniversary artwork teases. "So I wouldn't look to that as a definitive roadmap of any given year in Pokémon Go. Instead, it's something we're excited about and almost like a creative vision for where we would generally like the game to go in the future, but not as a one-to-one of what's to come."
Plans change, in other words - but this year's giant signal Dynamax is on the radar seems fairly definitive.
For the unitiated, Pokémon capable of Dynamax can grow in size (not unlike Pokémon Go's raid bosses currently) and use more powerful Max Moves.
On top of this, there's a separate Gigantamax system which grants even more powerful G-Max Moves and gives creatures a whole new appearance. Pokémon Go fans have suggested this could get added to the game with a similar system to its current Mega Evolution mechanic.
In the nearer future, Pokémon Go is set to celebrate its annual Go Fest Global this coming weekend, with the arrival of Mythical Pokémon Marshadow and Necrozma for all players.