Pokemon GO has taken a bit of a hit from the ongoing coronavirus concerns, as the Community Day for March 2020 has been delayed for Italy, Japan, and South Korea until further notice. The news came just a few days after it was announced that the Nidorino and Gengar Raid Day, which was held on March 1, 2020, would be canceled for those same regions. Following that announcement, Pokemon GO‘s Japanese Twitter tweeted that it would be examining the options for in-game events for those regions and would notify people later on.
According to the statement released today by Niantic, the Community Day for March in those regions will be pushed back until further notice, while the Spotlight Hour, Raid Hour, Mystery Bonus Hour, and Raid Weekends from the period of March 3-19, 2020 will be canceled in Italy, Japan, and South Korea.
To make up for this, from the period of March 3-19, 2020, Incense will last two times as long and will let players encounter Pokemon even easier than before. Incense prices will also be halved. Pokemon GO Battle League matches will also not require Poke Coins during this same period for those regions. It’ll be easier to encounter rare Pokemon like Scraggy via Pokemon GO Battle League, including legendaries. That said, players who’ve already begun walking the first 3km will need to complete the rest of the distance.
Darkrai will be available from March 6-9, 2020, with shiny Darkrai also possible to be encountered. From March 13-16, 2020, Giratina in its Altered Forme will be available at low percentage chances, as well as its shiny variant. Meanwhile, Thunderus will appear as scheduled during this entire period.
Pokemon GO is available on Apple iOS and Android devices.