It was released four years ago, but despite (or maybe because of) a global pandemic, Pokémon Go is still very much a thing.

If you aren’t one of the estimated 147 million monthly users (last tallied in 2018) then you might not know how to play Pokémon Go, but you’ve probably heard of it. It’s an augmented reality game people play on their phones, collecting their own virtual monsters and battling other players (or trainers, as they are called) while strolling around in the real world.

Obviously there’s a lot more to the game, as any serious trainer would tell you. Parent company Niantic made a lot of changes, some permanent, to the game to help players who were locked down, and that seems to have paid off…for Niantic, if not gamers.

App data site Sensor Tower just reported that Niantic has made over $1 billion this year from in-app purchases, making 2020 its best financial year to date. Many of the concessions Niantic made to the game, like remote raid passes, are for sale in the game’s store.

In addition to stocking the gift shop, Niantic has promoted in-game events almost non-stop throughout the year to generate player interest (and, let’s face it, sales).

Next up is for trainers is Animation Week which kicks off on Friday, November 6. It features Pokémon and other content based on the current Pokemon anime series, Pokémon Journeys.

Throughout the Animation Week event, Pokémon that have been featured prominently in the anime will appear in the wild. This includes World Cap Pikachu, which is making its debut in Pokémon Go, as well as Bulbasaur, Exeggcute, Cubone, Scyther, Dratini, and Cyndaquil. Players will also have a chance to encounter Shiny Cubone during the event.

On top of that, the Legendary Pokémon Lugia is returning to five-star Raids and here will be new Timed Research tasks “inspired by multiple episodes” of Pokémon Journeys, according to Niantic.

If you’re itching for a fight, Niantic has released the full details for Battle League season 5, which kicks off November 9 and runs until November 30. The shorter-than-usual season introduces a brand new progression system that ditches ratings in favor of counting how many battles you’ve completed or won. Niantic still isn’t requiring players to walk a number of steps to compete in GO Battle League season 5 due to the pandemic. 

And if that wasn’t enough to look forward to, the next generation of Pokémon are ready to release. Data miners have found all of the Kalos region creatures hidden in the code. (They’ll be released at a later date.) This includes the legendaries Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde – the Aura trio.

Do you play Pokémon Go? If so, what’s your level and do you have any shinies to trade? Let us know in the comments!