Information has surfaced that you can influence the evolution of your Eevee in Pokémon GO simply by changing its name. The details of this easter egg were found in this submission from the /r/pokemongo subreddit.
The submission in question is just one of many discussing the easter egg - this submission by /u/TheAztek popped up yesterday and this one by /u/Arkeren a short while afterwards.
The methodology is quite simple. Change the name of your Eevee to one of the following to get the corresponding evolutions: Rainer will guarantee a Vaporeon, Sparky will guarantee a Jolteon, and Pyro will guarantee a Flareon. The names are in reference to the Eevee brothers from the anime.
There are a lot of people confirming the trick via comments or screenshots. At least one video purporting to show the trick working has also popped up. Screenshots can be faked or manipulated, and while video can be as well it's slightly more of a technical challenge.
That led us to try it out ourselves to verify the information. Techraptor's Rutledge Daugette and Jack Jacobs tested the Eevee easter egg themselves and it produced the desired evolution in both cases. While we would prefer some more testing, the tests we've done are enough to confirm what was posted on to a solid degree. Make sure to spell the names correctly as some commenters have lamented getting the wrong evolution due to a misspelling on their part.
This isn't the first easter egg discovered in the game. Shortly after launch, players discovered that you could choose Pikachu as your starter by walking away from the three initial choices. This event is also a nod to the anime.
If you're interested in Pokémon GO, you can grab the app for free on Google Play and the Apple Store. You might want to check out our beginner's guide, our safety tips and if you're trying to figure out if it is worth your time, our review.
Have you been playing Pokémon GO? Have you caught an Eevee yet? Which evolution would you want to get first? Let us know in the comments below!
