'Pokémon GO' news: Gigantic update adds new gameplay features and 80 new Pokémon; trading and PvP Battle features to be added soon

The latest update for "Pokémon GO" is now live, adding 80 new Pokémon and more gameplay features to the hit AR game.

The lineup of new Pokémon is made up of Gen 2 Johto Pokemon, including Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. The game will also introduce new berries and evolutionary items to accompany the additional creatures. While the additional items help players complete their Johto collections, the berries are made to make battles a bit more challenging.

The two new berries in trainers' inventories are the Nanab Berry and Pinap Berry. The Nanab Berry's purpose is to slow Pokémon down to keep them from running away, whereas the Pinap Berries are added to let players collect twice as much candy after successfully catching a Pokémon. As for the latest customization items, the update brings in new shirts, pants, mats, and more for the player's avatar. The said new items could also be purchased with real money.

As noted in the full patch notes, other parts of the update include minor text fixes, a night mode map, specific genders for each Pokémon, as well as bonus candies for players who catch Pokémon that are already evolved.

In other news, more interesting features will be added to the game in the near future. John Hanke, CEO of "Pokémon GO" developer Niantic, has confirmed that two of the most anticipated features will be launched soon: monster trading and PvP battles.

"It is what it is. I'll take the massive wave of hysteria we enjoyed, and just deal with the fact that it's caused us to take a bit longer to get the rest of the features up. We're really happy to make our users happy," he said.

Hanke went on to share that "Pokémon GO" made more than enough money last year, which greatly helps the developers add more advanced features to the game. "Last year has funded us, you know, indefinitely, really," he added.