‘Pokémon Go’ Update Analysis Reveals Truth Behind A Ditto Easter Egg In The Game

“Pokémon Go” players have long discussed the possibility of a Ditto Easter egg, and now we may know the truth. As it stands now, data mining of the latest patch reveals that there’s no trace of the changling monster yet.

The experts over at Pokemon GO Hub recently unpacked Android update 0.37.1 in an effort to refute or prove the myth, and the study was thorough enough to be conclusive. In order to fully understand the evidence, it’s worth knowing that “Pokémon Go” carries data in two forms. The most obvious sources are the local files that are actually downloaded to your device. It’s in these files that we’ve previously been able to find traces of the Buddy System and Legendary Pokémon.

The second type of data is server-side. In this case, the vast majority of the file isn’t located on a device. Instead, there’s just a small local marker that tells the server to produce a certain result after specific perimeters have been met. These types of requests are located in a file called “global-metadata.dat.” The best example of this is the recently found “Pikachu jumps to shoulder” Easter egg that was introduced with the Buddy System. There are actual lines of code that tell the app to trigger that action once the required amount of meters has been walked. We know what every local and server string does at this point, and none tie to Ditto.

The closest reference to it is found in the “GAME_MASTER” folder where all entries for Pokémon and movesets are kept. As it stands now, if Ditto is ever added, it’ll know how to attack with Pound and Struggle. However, this trace can easily be explained. Since the full 150-strong roster is expected by fans for inclusion, an entry had to be made for Ditto. In order to make an entry, however, moves had to be there to accompany it. As a result, we get what little evidence exists today. The same basic movesets are there for legendaries too.

In case it’s not clear enough, what we’re trying to say is that there is no Ditto Easter egg in “Pokémon Go” at this time. The monster simply doesn’t exist and is even less traceable than legendaries. Future app updates could always add in some Ditto strings, and we’ll be sure to report them when they are found.

“Pokémon Go” is available now on Android and iOS.

What do you think about there being little to no trace of Ditto in the latest update? How might Niantic eventually sneak it into the game? Tell us in the comments section!