From 4th August 2016 - 00:49 GMT +1 until 7th August 2016 - 01:05 GMT +1, amazing things happened. A community of Pokémon GO players from all around the world came together with the intention of restoring service to the third-party PoGO API.
We were collectively known as Team Unknown6, due to the first unknown we tried to decrypt. The events which followed during those three and a half days was nothing short of special, and unforgettable.
It was a lengthy battle of teamwork and effort to decrypt the U6 generation algorithm. The collaboration begun via the PokémonGoDev sub-reddit and eventually spilled onto the Discord chat servers. Seamless collaboration begun between highly experienced engineers, which lead to multiple wiki pages and Github repositories created to track and pool together progress.
Niantic shut off the original method of communicating with the Pokémon GO API in retaliation to botters abusing their privileges. However, the API had other major uses: such as building maps, inventory management, batch actions on Pokémon among a whole assortment of other very useful, non-distruptive tools. To date, we cannot think of one major Pokémon GO community that wasn't built off the back of applications which made use of the API.
Niantic should look at why the community is resorting to such methods in the first place. "If Niantic won't provide what the community are demanding, the community will provide it for them." Personally speaking, if a community had such a strong desire that they came together to work on a joint effort like this, we'd answer them head on. It's not every day that you see a fanbase as passionate as this, to unify so quickly on one point and take action.
This is a testament to how much potential the game has, and personally, we feel Niantic Inc. is not making full use of this potential and are dragging their feet in the dirt because of it. In short; Niantic, create an official, public API. Work with the community to build an application ecosystem. We all profit. Otherwise, you're going to be left with not just a broken game, but with a broken community also.
While not much focus should be put on this, we feel some points need to be clarified.
- We were the first and only collective team to reverse engineer and decrypt U6.
- We were also the first and only collective team to release a fixed API.
- We did not accept money or donations of any type for the work we did, and we will not.
- We do not condone any botting or automated third-party applications, whatsoever.
Regardless of how accurate or inaccurate these posts were, we've decided to link them for visibility.
- Ars Technica - How hackers broke Pokémon GO's anti-cheat technology in four days
- AndroidHeadlines - Pokémon GO Servers Cracked Wide Open Again
- Medium - A Peek into the Pokémon Go Hacking Scene
Come along and visit us
In alphabetical order to list all of those who participated no matter how big or small. We are Team Unknown6.
- ';--Lambda
- AeonLucid
- CheesyNoob
- Chip Wolf
- cyraxx
- idontcarebear
- globeriz
- gt853
- HatchingEgg
- jabbink
- Jumboperson
- keyphact
- Lyrex
- nullpixel (former nullriver)
- ReBirTH
- RocketRaccoon
- SecureKernel
- Tal
- tejado
- Unni
- ur0
- Waryas
- wchill
- Xanatus
- xssc