Pokémon GO's current Team Rocket-fueled nightmare has taken another twist today, as a number of Team GO Rocket leaders have infiltrated the game. You'll recognise the star of the show, too, as Pokémon Red and Blue's Giovanni has entered the fray.

Team GO Rocket activity has been intensifying over the last few weeks, with a strange object called 'Mysterious Components' being found as well as numerous sightings of pesky leaders. Now, the full extent of the bad guys' plans appears to have been shown, with a new set of special research tasks called 'Looming in the Shadows' now being available.

Here's what developer Niantic has to say:

The world of Pokémon GO is in peril! Team GO Rocket Leaders Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo have made their move and can be encountered by Trainers worldwide! Not only have they caught more Shadow Pokémon and strengthened them through unnatural means—their arrival also confirms a suspicion Professor Willow has held for a while: Giovanni, the boss of both Team GO Rocket and the original Team Rocket, may have arrived in the world of Pokémon GO.

The Team GO Rocket Leaders and Giovanni also seem to be using new technology to conceal the locations of their hideouts. Professor Willow, Spark, Blanche, and Candela have been hard at work developing new devices to counter Team GO Rocket’s new tech, and we ask you to explore the world around you, battle the Team GO Rocket Leaders, and conduct Special Research to find and defeat Giovanni!

You can start working towards defeating Team GO Rocket by getting stuck into the first set of tasks for the Looming in the Shadows special research. You'll need to spin 10 PokéStops, defeat 3 Team GO Rocket Grunts, and catch one Shadow Pokémon to progress to the next stage. You can find more details here.

Have you been keeping up with Pokémon GO recently? Still trying to catch 'em all? Let us know with a comment below.

[source pokemongolive.com]