Here’s what you missed in Pokémon Presents
On Wednesday, Nintendo held a presentation to give fans updates on all things Pokémon, called Pokémon Presents. The showcase covered tons of news coming to the franchise, including esports updates, Pokémon GO events, and new details about the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games.
Pokémon esports
The show started out with updates on the competitive Pokémon scene, including the Pokémon World championships in London, the Pokémon GO Championship series, and the Pokémon UNITE Championship series. The event in London will happen from Thursday, August 18 through Sunday, August 21, and will include competitions for the trading card game, traditional video games, and Pokken across age brackets.
Pokémon GO fans will get to watch nearly 100 participants compete in the Championship series in two different age groups. Meanwhile, the Pokémon UNITE Championship series will feature 16 teams from 11 regions. Both groups will be competing to become the first-ever champions in their respective categories. Coverage of each competition will be streamed on Nintendo’s dedicated channels.
Pokémon GO Fest 2022: Finale
After holding in-person Pokémon GO Fest events in Seattle, Washington and Berlin, Germany, and an upcoming one in Sapporo, Japan this weekend, Niantic is capping things off with a finale event on Saturday, August 27. It will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and will feature the Ultra Beasts that were the focus of the previous events. Players will be able to access this content from anywhere around the world, and will even be able to encounter wild pokémon they might not normally find. Fans will also be able to find the legendary pokémon Shaymin by doing special research. Another addition to the game will be daily adventure incense, which players can use for 15 minutes a day to attract critters that aren’t normally local to them, potentially including legendaries.
Pokémon UNITE
The pocket monster MOBA is still going strong, and alongside its first anniversary event, event more celebrations are coming. First is the Pika Party, a new type of quick battle making its debut in the game on August 3 and ends on September 1. As the name implies, all of the monsters on the field, both wild and player-controlled, are pikachus in this mode. Buzzswole, the extremely ripped bug pokémon, is also arriving in the game on August 3. Tyranitar and three other currently unannounced monsters will be joining the game later this year as well.
Other game announcements
Two other side titles in the franchise also got small announcements during the presentation. Pokémon Masters EX is getting new trainer lodge content this month in honor of its three year anniversary. Additionally, the OG legendary, Mewtwo will be appearing in the free-to-play cooking game Pokémon Café Remix and can even join your restaurant staff if you succeed at the one-minute cooking puzzle mini-game.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
The main feature this trailer highlighted was the ability for players to ride their respective legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon, across the game’s setting of Paldea as either four-legged mounts, or motorcycles. It also showed off some of the new areas you’ll see, new pokémon species, and even ways to play cooperatively – though the details on that were miniscule. These games will be open-world RPGS, a system Pokémon Legends Arceus dabbled in, but that Scarlet and Violet will fully embrace. Players will explore this map as they advance their Treasure Hunt project from the academy they’re attending. The games will include three major plots: one dealing with the traditional eight gym battles where you can choose the order of the gyms you challenge, and two others that players will encounter and unravel as they play and explore the world.
In addition to the new species of pocket monsters, old favorites are also getting a new regional twist. Wooper, for example, is now a land creature that covers itself in a poisonous film. All pokémon are also able to “terastallize” which is a crystalline form that gives them extra power, and can even potentially change their type while in that state. What type they change into depends on their “tera type.” Some have rare or uncommon tera types and can be found more often in tera raids with allies.
Both Scarlet and Violet will release on November 18.
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