First Pokémon Go players beat Team Rocket's Giovanni

Pokémon Go's new questline to battle Team Rocket and defeat big boss Giovanni has at last been beaten by players around the world.

The in-game quest - Looming in the Shadows - began last week, but an early step put the whole thing on pause for several days before players could finally finish the fight today.

And so, yesterday evening UK time, as various countries rolled over midnight, players were able to find and beat Giovanni for the first time.

While that wait seemed frustrating at the time, the game's community has been kept busy. Players have spent the past few days getting to grips with the new - and enjoyably challenging - Team Rocket Leaders. These three characters unique to Pokémon Go form a layer of middle management between Rocket's footsoldiers and Giovanni. You'll need to find and beat all three before moving on to Giovanni himself.

Last week, players were able to battle Rocket grunts and construct a Rocket Radar to track down Leaders to battle. Each Leader has their own pool of Pokémon you'll need a specific strategy to beat. Battles require a good knowledge of Pokémon types and their various strengths/weaknesses. Or just have Lucario - he's genuinely amazing.

Last night, the next step unlocked. By fulfilling a few more tasks set by Professor Willow, players can obtain a Super Rocket Radar to track down and defeat Giovanni himself - and obtain the game's first Shadow Legendary Pokémon as a reward.

In a Q&A blog post published over the weekend, developer Niantic confirmed it will release a new Giovanni questline every month - and there's a new in-game medal which tracks the number of these you've completed. Presumably in December, the next time you'll fight Giovanni, he will come packing the next Shadow Legendary as reward.