Pokémon Day is on Feb. 27 to celebrate the birthday of the brand, which got its start in 1996 when the Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green role-playing games were first released in Japan.
Today’s “Pokémon Presents” video presentation announced three new Pokémon video games for the Nintendo Switch system: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Pokémon Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The games will begin rolling out later this year. Trainers were first introduced to the Sinnoh region in 2006 with the release of the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games on the Nintendo DS system. Players will be able to once again visit the Sinnoh region in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, which are remakes of two older Pokémon games. Pokémon Legends: Arceus will introduce fans to the older Sinnoh region before the existence of Pokémon Trainers and Pokémon Leagues came about. Players will embark on a completely new adventure to create the region’s first Pokédex.
The video also shared updates on the new Pokémon Snap game, set to release on April 30. In the game, players will snap photos of different Pokemon species in the wild to observe them in their natural habitats, capture rare behaviors, and edit photos with special effects. Players will receive a score based on the subjects’ poses, how large they appear, how directly they’re facing the camera, where they fall in frame, and how common or rare the displayed behavior is. Players can take a ton of photos to fill out their Photodex and share them with others online.
Players of Pokémon GO, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, Pokémon Masters EX, and Pokémon Café Mix will find 25th-anniversary in-game events this week, including special battles, character appearances, promotions, and freebies.
In Pokémon Go, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo will make appearances in Legendary Raid Battles as part of a Kanto-region-themed celebration event. In the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield video games, players can take part in a special Max Raid Battle event featuring Gigantamax Pikachu. Pokémon Masters EX players can look for appearances from Galar region Champion Leon and his partner Pokémon Charizard up until March 17. Players can log in to the Pokémon Café Mix game to receive 2,500 golden acorns through Feb. 28.
Fans can also tune in to a free Post Malone x Pokémon concert starting at 7 p.m. EST on Pokémon Day. Find more info here.
