One billion battles have been played in the Pokémon Go Battle League since launch

Since the official launch of the Pokémon Go Battle League in January, more than one billion battles have been fought in the league, even with issues plaguing the system. 

While there have been several problems with the Battle League, with the most recent requiring Niantic to disable the service entirely due to exploits being used online, the feature has given players another reason to continue playing Pokémon Go. 

Prior to its launch, players would only need to have strong Pokémon ready to use in gym battles and raids, with the occasional team member being left behind to defend a conquered gym to earn some extra PokéCoins. But with the implementation of the Battle League, the community had a real reason to care about competitive battling. 

Competitive Pokémon battling has been around since the franchise started. But in a time where online play lets players from around the world battle regardless of their location, this was something Go needed if it wanted to see continued growth. 

Because of the Battle League and all of the rankings and rewards that come with it, players actually have something to strive for. Whether it be a reason to keep playing and earn more items, or to try and be the very best, there is no question that the feature helped invigorate the fan base. 

With new features like the Global Challenge Arena, Niantic Social, and more looking to improve how players can interact and continue playing, battling, and catching in the near future, Battle League’s numbers will likely only continue to grow as the game advances.