Many "Pokemon GO" players and video game critics are convinced that Niantic Labs will not be releasing a New Year's event this year. However, some players believe the video game company added gaming features that were also included in last year's event.

The year 2018 has come, and Niantic Labs is still sticking to its Holiday event. The event commenced on Dec. 22, 2017 and will end on Jan. 4, 2018. Many gamers expected the New Year's event going live by now, but still no word from the video game company.

Reports reveal that there will be no New Year event this year. It is said that the company should have released announcements as early as Dec. 29, 2017, but did not.

Despite the absence of a New Year's event, many players believe that Niantic Labs added a feature that was present in last year's event. Free single-use incubators were given to gamers during last year's New Year's event. Niantic also increased the spawn rate for Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander last year. It was also stressed in reports that some players noticed a boost in the spawn rate of the third-generation Pokemon, Mudkip, Treecko, and Torchic.

Meanwhile, other reports say that some players are expecting a big update involving the game's Gym Raids. A number of "Pokemon GO" players have reported that the duration of Raids with the new Gyms is longer. Some say raids last until 8:30 p.m. and others until 7:30 p.m.

Many fans are also hoping for new legendary Pokemon to be added to the AR game. The most recent legendary Pokemon to join the roster was Pokemon Sapphire's Kyogre.

The year 2018 is a big one for Niantic Labs with two new AR application games to be released. The video game company will soon launch "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" and "Ingress Prime."