Our current game event features battle opponents hanging around Pokéstops, kind of like TGR grunts. I had originally thought the announcement was that we would encounter opponents for GBL like that. Naturally, the event is more like having grunts dressed like player trainers instead of regular grunts. (But they are still pve battles, just like TGR…)
It made me wonder, has anybody ever proved that the pvp feature in Pokémon GO is actually players vs players, and not just some strange form of players vs computer? Specifically, has anybody actually battled somebody in GBL that they personally know in real life?
(edit: OR confirmed was actually a real person, not just another grunt using a real player’s name and likeness?)
It’s easy to directly challenge a friend through the game’s friend feature. But we seem to have no control over whom the game pairs us up with in the leagues, themselves. Are we just getting set up to battle computer-controlled trainers (but with actual player attire in place of grunt uniforms)?