Pokemon GO has had quite an interesting lifespan, from initially starting out as an April fool's joke by Google Maps and The Pokemon Company in 2014, to being released in the summer of 2016 as a worldwide phenomenon, to having its best year yet in 2020 despite COVID-19. Not only did Pokemon GO revolutionize AR mobile gaming, but also the Pokemon franchise itself.

Although Pokemon GO eventually managed to seep its way into Sword and Shield with things like Pokemon Home integration, the game also inspired the 2018 titles Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! These were yet another set of remakes of the 1st generation Pokemon games, but implemented Pokemon GO-like mechanics. And although other things from Pokemon GO like raid battles also made their way into Sword and Shield, it seems fans have just discovered another easter egg from Pokemon GO in the 8th generation games.

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Despite Pokemon Sword and Shield releasing well over a year ago, it looks like fans are discovering new things about the games on the regular. Over on Reddit, user HumanManBoy posted a photo of a statue found in the in-game city Circhester, home to the Rock-type Gym Leader Gordie or Ice-type Gym Leader Melony, depending on the game's version. While many players seem to have passed this up throughout their playthroughs, upon a closer look, the statue bears a striking resemblance to Pokemon GO's iconic PokeStops.

The discovery of this easter egg sparked a heavy amount of speculation over on Reddit, with fans even arguing whether or not this is a nod to Pokemon GO at all. The most popular theory seems to be that since Circhester is reportedly one of the first cities Game Freak created in the Galar region for Pokemon Sword and Shield, development would've likely taken place around the height of Pokemon GO's popularity. Thus, it seems likely that Game Freak could have been inspired to include a nod to the mobile game during its development of Sword and Shield.

In the comments of the Reddit post, Pokemon fans reacted with shock as to how they didn't notice the easter egg when first playing through the Nintendo Switch games. The post also sparked sarcastic speculation as to whether people in the Pokemon universe can play Pokemon GO, or rather, "animal go," as user Elaine_I_Think put it.

It seems that a variety of hidden features and the recently released Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLC Expansions for Pokemon Sword and Shield have been keeping fans busy without the release of a mainline Pokemon installment in 2020. But with the upcoming release of New Pokemon Snap and the franchise's 25th anniversary this year, it is likely that fans still have a lot to look forward to.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are currently available for the Nintendo Switch.

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