Pokemon Go: monsters caught by cheaters will now carry a mark of shame

If you're using tracking apps to catch Pokemon, don't expect them to behave.

Yesterday we dropped details of a the game's huge new patch, which added some major features - gym badges, legendary monsters, TMs, expanded gyms, the works.

Also included, it seems, was a mark that will pop up on the profiles of cheaters. A verified account from developer Niantic, labeled 'NianticGeorge', has spelled this change out in a Reddit post:

"Starting today, Pokémon caught using third-party services that circumvent normal gameplay will appear marked with a slash in the inventory and may not behave as expected. We are humbled by the excitement for all the new features we announced yesterday.This is one small part of our continued commitment to maintaining the integrity of our community and delivering an amazing Pokémon GO experience."

It remains to be seen what they mean when they say that these monsters will not behave as expected, but if you're using a banned third-party tracking app, know that your monsters probably aren't going to defend gyms properly.

This is a continuation of Pokemon Go's general war on cheaters. Last month, we found out that players caught using tracking apps would be barred from finding rare Pokemon. There were some wrongful bans in among all of this, causing tension in the game's community.

If you're not cheating, though, consider yourself in the clear to enjoy all the new features.