Pokemon Go news – Don’t forget, the Christmas event finishes THIS week

trainers have had a bumper few weeks, with new Gen 3 pocket monsters added to the hit smartphone game and the Christmas event kicking off once again.

The Pokemon Go Christmas event 2017 saw the return of the festive Pikachu, complete with its cute Santa hat, as well as extra bonuses.

Special boxes have also been available from the in-game store since December 21 2017.

These boxes included special items such as Super Incubators, Lure Modules, Premium Raid Passes and the all-new Star Pieces.

But now the festive fun is set to end, with the Pokemon Go Christmas event 2017 finishing this week.

The seasonal event will finish in the iOS and Android smartphone game on January 4 2018, but no end time has been given yet.

So, if you’re still looking to catch that festive Pikachu – you better head out into the wild and break out your Poke Balls as you don’t have much longer left.

The Pokemon Go Christmas event 2017 was announced last month by Niantic in an official blog post.

In it, the Pokemon Go team said: “The holiday season is here, and we have a celebration that will inspire you to go out exploring your neighborhood with family and friends. 

“A familiar festive Pikachu is back—and bringing a few frosty friends along for the fun! 

“In addition to more Ice-type Pokémon appearing around the world, additional Water-type and Ice-type Pokémon originally discovered in the Hoenn region in the Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire video games will also begin appearing in Pokémon GO for the very first time.“

They added: “Don’t miss out on your chance to stock up for your holiday adventures with special boxes from the in-game shop, featuring the best deals of the year.” 

The news comes as Pokemon Go is set to finally get a release in China.

Niantic told the Financial Times that the smash hit AR game will finally be coming to China after a partnership deal with local company NetEase.

Niantic’s chief executive John Hanke said his firm “absolutely” intended to take its games to China.

No specific date has been set for when Pokemon Go will be launched in China.

The San Francisco-based developer is also working on a Harry Potter AR game, entitled Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which is set for a release this year.