Apparently, a mistake by the developers has led to a very special form of Zapdos now existing in Pokémon GO. Namely, the Shiny form.
The release of the legendary bird trio, consisting of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos, has generated excitement among trainers over the past few weeks. Finally, the legendary Pokémon can be caught in Pokémon GO. Players had to wait about a year for this.
As of today (August 8), Zapdos is in the game and can be found as a raid boss. However, in a rare Shiny form. This seems to be a funny mistake by the developers, which is now bringing joy to the community.
Catching Shiny Zapdos – Trainers Are Excited
At Niantic, there’s probably a loud “UPS” or “Oh Oh” echoing through the offices. The reason is not server issues or network errors, but a detail regarding the release of Zapdos.
The electric bird of the legendary trio is now in the game and appears in a very special form. As users on Reddit have noticed, Zapdos is showing its Shiny model in the game instead of its Normal form. Pokémon have a “normal” model and a color-changed “Shiny” model, which they can show during encounters and in the PokéDex.
If you take a closer look at the current form of Zapdos, it becomes clear that it is the Shiny variant. You can see a comparison in the following image from PokémonGOHub (Top “normal”, bottom “Shiny”):
Also, here’s a screenshot of a caught Zapdos. Pay attention to the lighter colors, especially on the claws:
If you have already caught a Zapdos, you theoretically have a Shiny Zapdos. But unfortunately, only theoretically, because according to current findings, the problem lies on Niantic’s side. The game downloads the image of the Shiny variant, even though a normal variant of Zapdos was caught. This is also evident when sending the Pokémon, as no “Shiny warning” is displayed.
You are catching “normal” Zapdos that are mistakenly displayed as “Shiny”. It is currently unclear how Niantic will respond. However, it is expected that this error will be fixed soon and your PokéDex collections will show the “normal” models afterward.
So quickly take a screenshot to preserve the memory of these special Pokémon before they are gone again.
What Are Shiny Pokémon Anyway?
The Shiny variants of the monsters are considered particularly rare and require a lot of luck to be found in the wild. The first Shiny form in Pokémon GO was with the water Pokémon Magikarp.
For the water event, these rare monster variants were sent into the wild. For trainers, it’s a special experience to suddenly find a Magikarp in an unusual color. Everything you need to know about Shiny Pokémon can be found here.
Zapdos is now available in Pokémon GO – All information can be found here
