【Big Thing Chief: The Stolen Wife】

Brace yourselves,Big Thing Chief: The Stolen Wife trainers -- the biggest Pokémon Go update since the release of Gen II is well on its way.

SEE ALSO: A beginner's guide: How to play 'Pokémon Go'

We've known for a while that Niantic were planning a big overhaul to the current gym system (it was due a change, to be fair), and with today's announcement we now have a clearer idea of timings.

The good news? It's going to be happening pretty soon.

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From the sounds of it, Niantic has planned a schedule of events and new features to coincide with the run-up to Pokémon Go's first anniversary (it'll be a year old on 6 July, if you can believe that).

Here's a breakdown of what's been announced, in order of when it'll happen:

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The Solstice event

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

This one will be pretty similar to the recent type-themed events we've been getting, but with a few extras added in. Basically, from 13 June (1pm PDT) to 20 June (1pm PDT) we'll be seeing an increase in ice and fire Pokémon in the game.

There will also be "huge" XP bonuses for special types of throws (great, curveball, etc.), and a handy discount on lucky eggs.

A big new gym update

Niantic has previously said that "three major releases" will be coming to Pokémon Go in 2017. The update that will follow the Solstice event is the first of these.

According to the announcement it will focus on "collaborative group gameplay features that will get you playing Pokémon Go in fun new ways". A new gym system, in other words.

In the build-up to this update, gyms will temporarily be disabled in the game (Niantic has confirmed they'll give us warning before this happens, though).

Real-world events

The first real-world Pokémon Go event will be held in Chicago, Illinois on 22 July 2017 at Grant Park. There are no details on what exactly this will involve yet, but you can sign up on the Pokémon Go Live website for updates.

There will also be shopping centre-based events across Europe throughout the summer, and a "Pikachu Outbreak" event in Japan in August.

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