Pokémon Go bug causes Shiny Scatterbug to appear before official debut

Shiny Scatterbug isn’t supposed to be in Pokémon Go yet, but due to a weird glitch, one lucky player actually spotted one yesterday.

Here’s how it happened: The player accidentally clicked on a Shiny Exeggcute in the wild right when the Scatterbug encounter popped up. Oddly enough, this turned the Scatterbug Shiny.

In the core series, Shiny Scatterbug is a lighter color. The one the player saw was just like that, so it wasn’t just a visual bug. It actually had what appeared to be the official sprite. The only problem was it looked like it loaded twice over, making its face appear a bit weird.

Unfortunately, the player couldn’t keep it. The Scatterbug looked Shiny when they caught it, but once it was stored, it changed back to a regular one again. Still, it was an exciting sneak peek at what it will look like in Pokémon Go when it eventually arrives.

The encounter sparked a discussion about how it could have happened on a technical level. The biggest question was how was it possible? One player explained that when a new Pokémon comes to Pokémon Go, the Shiny version is also added to the game code, even if it’s not officially out. That’s how people who dig into the data find out about new Shiny Pokémon like Shiny Greavard before they’ve officially gone live.

This glitch has players buzzing. They’re planning to try it out by clicking on a Shiny Pokémon right when another one they want to catch shows up, hoping it turns Shiny and stays that way. It’s extra exciting if it’s a Pokémon not even out yet. But pulling this off might be a long shot because it needs perfect timing, accuracy, and a bit of luck.