No, Shiny Hoopa is Not Legal or Obtainable in Pokemon GO as of 2023

I get this question a lot from players eager to add the elusive Shiny Hoopa to their collections. As a longtime Pokemon GO enthusiast and gaming guide creator, I‘m here to confirm that no – there is currently no way to legitimately obtain Shiny Hoopa in Niantic‘s hit mobile game.

Any Shiny Hoopas you may have seen are guaranteed to be hacked or modded. But we can analyze Hoopa and Niantic‘s history with mythicals to make some (hopeful) predictions about when we might see its glittering gold variant!

What is Hoopa and Why Do Players Want It So Badly?

For those less familiar with the Pokemon franchise, Hoopa is a mythical Psychic/Ghost-type creature that debuted back in the X & Y Generation VI games. Like most mythicals, it has an exceptionally low catch rate and only appears in very limited-time events.

Hoopa‘s signature move is summoning other legendary Pokemon through the hoops on its body. It has a unique form-changing ability that unlocks its true destructive power. This is why Hoopa‘s alternate "Unbound" form remains one of few Pokemon actually banned from official competitive tournaments!

Now onto why Pokemon GO trainers are so eager to catch Shiny Hoopa in particular…

Beyond its cool backstory, there‘s the basic appeal of adding another rare find to your Pokedex. The gold sheen of a Shiny simply looks fantastic on Hoopa‘s colorful design.

And for battle enthusiasts, Hoopa‘s strong mixed attacking stats give it functionally relevance too. Unbound Hoopa remains a dominant force even amongst other legendary raid counters.

So in short – Shiny Hoopa perfectly brings together scarcity, aesthetics, and strength into one coveted prize!

Examining Niantic‘s Past Releases of Shiny Mythicals

Alright, so why hasn‘t that coveted prize made its way to Pokemon GO yet?

To predict if/when Shiny Hoopa could appear, we need to look at patterns from past mythicals:

A consistent trend emerges here – Niantic debuts the normal variant first, then waits around 2 years before introducing its Shiny form!

• I speculate this extended delay is to (1) preserve initial hype for newly-added mythicals and (2) incentivize repeated participation if/when they re-run events later. After all, mobile games thrive based on recurring engagement! So Niantic staggers content releases to pique our interest over time. Pretty clever if you think about it!

In Hoopa‘s case specifically, the standard greenConfined Forme first became obtainable back in July 2021.

So by comparing to the precedents above, logic suggests Shiny Hoopa will come sometime between July 2023 and 2024 to align with that approximate 2-year gap.

Possible Scenarios for Shiny Hoopa‘s Eventual Pokemon GO Debut

Of course, trying to nail down an exact date is near impossible with Niantic‘s unpredictability! But based on past events, these seem like likely options for Shiny Hoopa‘s momentous release:

• July 2023 – Aligning with Hoopa‘s initial 2-year anniversary seems plausible. All previous shiny mythicals did debut shortly before or after the 2-year marks. This summer 2023 date also falls conveniently within Pokemon GO‘s busy "Season of Go" event rotation.

• October – December 2023 – Late 2023 holiday events also seem reasonable. Shiny Celebi and Meloetta both appeared around this timeframe to drive special Research Story participation. Halloween or Christmas would be prime real-estate for Hoopa to follow suit!

• 2024 – If Hoopa somehow doesn‘t show this year, I‘d expect its golden variant to emerge at some point in 2024. By then it will definitely have been available for 2+ years. And again, every past shiny mythical so far has surfaced in that 1.5-2 year range after initial release.

My personal guess? I‘ll predict we see sparkling Shiny Hoopa either October 2023 as a special Halloween treat, or July 2024 for its 2-year milestone. But only time will tell!

Don‘t Be Fooled – Shiny Hoopa 100% Doesn‘t Exist In-Game Yet

Last but not least, I want to reiterate clearly that no – Shiny Hoopa is completely unobtainable as of early 2023 despite what some lucky screenshots may imply!

I‘ve seen convincing fakes floating around, but guarantee they are either hacked, photo-edited, or exploits of some kind. With my veteran gaming eye and Pokemon expertise, I can safely debunk claims of having the real deal.

Yet while that gold-ringed hotshot continues hiding for now, at least we have some clues guiding hopes for its eventual emergence! I‘ll be sure to share updates here on my blog as we learn more.

So for now, keep chasing those legendary raids and stockpiling candy in anticipation. Because if my predictions hold true, Shiny Hoopa‘s dazzling Pokemon GO debut should arrive within the next year or two!

Let me know which release theory you think is most likely, or what alternative scenarios I may have overlooked! I love sparking discussions with fellow enthusiastic Pokemon fans and players.