Player trading in Pokemon Go won't happen online

Pokemon Go won't allow you to trade Pokemon online because it's not that kind of game.

When Pokemon Go finally allows players to trade Pokemon with one another, it won't happen online. Instead, much like the main game, the two players will need to be physically close.

The game's senior product manager Tatsuo Nomura told Polygon at GDC 2017 that the process will have to take place in the real-world.

"We don’t want to just have that be an online game that you can just exchange virtually," he told the site. "You shouldn’t be able to exchange your Pokemon with someone who is 100 miles away from you ... The person needs to be in your proximity."

Nomura was asked if he's aware this doesn't solve the problem of lacking Pokedex for players who live in underpopulated areas. Some hoped, through trading, they'd be able to collect the remaining Pokemon which don't spawn in their areas.

"I wasn’t really thinking of trading as a way to solve the local area spawn issue," admitted Nomura. "That was more, we have a couple Pokemon that only spawn in a couple regions, and that was the hope, that some Pokemon you have to know someone or find someone who lives in certain regions and meet and exchange."

Pokemon Go trading is coming later this year.