'Pokemon Go' is reportedly punishing players who cheat the game.

Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go

The popular augmented reality mobile app has 65 million users scouring the globe for Pokemon which appear on players' mobile devices at certain locations in the real world, and game developers Niantic are now believed to be putting punishments in place for those who try to cheat their way into finding rare creatures.

Some players are known to be using third-party tracker apps to help them locate Pokemon they've never caught before, and there have now been reports from multiple users claiming Niantic has banned them from being able to encounter rare Pokemon.

The playing community have referred to the claims as a "shadowban", and it means that once a player has been flagged for cheating, they will only be able to encounter common Pokemon such as Pidgey and Rattata, even if they're in an area where rare Pokemon typically spawn.

The issue has even called for users on Reddit to start compiling a list of the Pokemon that can and can't be caught by players who have supposedly been hit with this ban.

Niantic have yet to comment on the alleged bans, but it wouldn't be the first time the company has made a move to prevent cheating. Last summer, the company placed a soft ban for two to three hours on players who attempted to fake their GPS co-ordinates. During the ban, players were unable to get items from Pokestops, interact with Gyms, or catch any Pokemon.

Meanwhile, it has also been speculated that legendary Pokemon could be appearing in the game as early as this summer, after one of the developers gave a cryptic acceptance speech at the 21st Annual Webby Awards.

Speeches at the award show are usually limited to just five words, and Archit Bhargava - who picked up five gongs for the game including Best Mobile Game - chose to tell audiences: "This summer will be legendary."

The inclusion of the word "legendary" has caused fans to speculate that Niantic intend on adding legendary Pokemon - which could include the likes of Mew and MewTwo - to the game later this year.