'Pokémon Go' Event Schedule: Valentine's Day update could be coming after recent changes

Trying to figure out when Niantic will release a new Pokémon Go holiday event and what such an event will entail requires a calendar and a crystal ball. But some recent updates to the game suggest a Valentine's Day event could be next on the schedule.

A recent update to the Pokémon Go APK — that has been thoroughly datamined by the Silph Research Group — indicated support for gendered Pokémon, and female Pikachu and Raichu sightings confirmed that Pokémon Go has at least some plan for including male and female versions of Pokémon species. If a Silph Road community member's guess is correct, the stage may be set for love.

Pokémon Go Event Schedule: Pokémon breeding could be a Valentine's Day surprise 

Nestled among the posts on The Silph Road is a suggestion from community member Mythiik that presents an interesting proposition.

"I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet," Mythiik wrote. "But I feel quite confident that Niantic will be activating (or releasing... whatever you want to call it) Pokémon genders for Valentine's Day. I bet they even mention the fact that a female Pikachu's tail is heart-shaped."

Pokémon Go holiday events thus far have stuck with the traditional interpretations of their respective holidays. For Christmas, Niantic introduced presents wrapped in a bow for sale in the shop, gave away free incubators at PokéStops, greatly increased spawns for starter Pokémon and gave Pikachu a Santa hat.

For Halloween, Niantic greatly increased the amount of candy gained upon catching Pokemon and increased spawn rates for "spooky" Pokémon. The idea of introducing Pokémon breeding for Valentine's Day, a holiday that's all about love — and by implication sex — doesn't seem so outlandish.

More Pokémon Go guides, tips, tricks and updates

Check out Mic's Pokémon Go tips and tricks. Here are guides on how to get stardust, how to determine how long it will take you to reach Level 40, the kind of Pokemon you get from 10km eggs, how to create new PokéStops, how to maximize your chances of catching Pokémon and how PokéStops distribute Pokémon eggs. Also check out how to catch Gen 2 baby Pokémon, our analysis of post-balance update Chansey and Rhydon and everything you need to know about finding the long-awaited Pokémon Ditto.