BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, The Pokémon Company group revealed Pokémon Legends: Z-A, a new video game, during a special Pokémon Presents video presentation. Streamed online to fans around the world on Pokémon Day — the annual fan-focused pop-culture holiday celebrating the launch of the original Pokémon video games on Feb. 27, 1996 — the presentation unveiled a slate of new experiences coming soon to the franchise.
Highlights include the announcement of a new video game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which will release exclusively on Nintendo Switch™ family of systems worldwide in 2025, and Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, a new app featuring a digital card collection — including “immersive cards” — arriving later in 2024. Details about these new titles as well as celebrations for the upcoming U.S. launch of “Pokémon Horizons: The Series” are below:
“As fans around the world celebrate the joy of Pokémon today, it is once again our honor to join the festivities and unveil new video game and mobile experiences with Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket,” said Kenji Okubo, president of The Pokémon Company International. “This Pokémon Day also marks the final countdown to the highly anticipated U.S. premiere of ‘Pokémon Horizons: The Series,’ launching March 7 on Netflix. With new video games, innovative apps, and the launch of the first new mainline animated adventure in more than 25 years, The Pokémon Company International would like to wish all Trainers around the world a very happy Pokémon Day.”
NEW GAME EXPERIENCES COMING TO POKÉMON
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon Legends: Z-A, an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, will be released simultaneously worldwide on Nintendo Switch in 2025. An exciting new adventure awaits players within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.
For more information about Pokémon Legends: Z-A, please visit here.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
The beloved Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) franchise continues to evolve with the debut of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, a new app that reimagines the experience of collecting Pokémon TCG cards in an innovative digital format.
In Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, players will be able to enjoy the thrill of opening booster packs and collecting cards showcasing special visual effects unique to this digital adaptation of the Pokémon TCG. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket introduces “immersive cards,” which give players the experience of leaping into the world of the card’s illustration, providing a whole new way to enjoy the Pokémon TCG. Players will be able to open two booster packs every day at no cost, including cards with nostalgic illustrations as well as new cards found only in the app. In addition, players will be able to engage in quick battles featuring streamlined rules based on the classic Pokémon TCG battle system.
Developed in collaboration with Creatures Inc., the creators of the Pokémon TCG, and DeNA Co. Ltd., partners in the development of Pokémon Masters EX, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket will launch in 2024 as a free-to-start app for iOS and Android. For more details, please see here.
CELEBRATORY EXPERIENCES FOR ‘POKÉMON HORIZONS: THE SERIES’
Themed Activities Coming to Pokémon GO
In celebration of the upcoming U.S. premiere of “Pokémon Horizons: The Series” — arriving March 7, 2024, exclusively on Netflix — fans around the world can enjoy special “Pokémon Horizons: The Series” events coming to Pokémon GO between March 5 and March 11. Players will be able to meet Liko and Roy, the dual protagonists of “Pokémon Horizons: The Series,” in GO Snapshot. In addition, Pikachu wearing Cap’s hat will make its debut in Pokémon GO, introducing an attack that’s also new to the app: Volt Tackle. More information about this event can be found here.
Pokémon Day at the Empire State Building
Outside of today’s Pokémon Presents, The Pokémon Company International is celebrating the upcoming U.S. premiere of “Pokémon Horizons: The Series” by partnering with the iconic Empire State Building in New York City to illuminate its world-famous tower lights. Emulating the highly recognizable Pokémon logo, the world-famous landmark will light up New York’s skyline in yellow and blue tonight beginning at sunset. Additional details on how to celebrate Pokémon Day at the Empire State Building can be found here.
More information about “Pokémon Horizons: The Series” can be found here, and the latest trailer can be viewed on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.
ADDITIONAL IN-GAME EVENTS COMING SOON
New experiences and updates were also announced for various games and apps, including the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video games, Pokémon Sleep, Pokémon UNITE, Pokémon Masters EX, and Pokémon Café ReMix. Fans can learn more about the latest announcements by viewing Pokémon Presents in its entirety on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.
About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing and marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.
About Nintendo
Nintendo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, has created franchises that have become household names worldwide, including Mario™, Donkey Kong™, The Legend of Zelda™, Metroid™, Pokémon™, Animal Crossing™, Pikmin™ and Splatoon™, through its integrated hardware and software products. Nintendo aims to deliver unique, intuitive entertainment experiences for everyone, manufacturing and marketing video game devices such as the Nintendo Switch™ family of systems, developing and operating applications for smart devices, and collaborating with partners on a range of other entertainment initiatives like visual content and theme parks. Nintendo has sold more than 5.6 billion video games and over 800 million hardware units globally. From the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System™ more than 30 years ago, through today and into the future, Nintendo’s continuing mission is to create unique entertainment that puts smiles on the faces of people all over the world. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/.
About Niantic
Niantic's global-scale augmented reality platform and digital map power spatial computing experiences in the real world. Incubated out of the Maps team at Google, Niantic first created Ingress and then Pokémon GO, a cultural phenomenon and hit game played by tens of millions of people each month. Niantic’s Lightship platform, which powers Pokémon GO, also supports the company's other games including Pikmin Bloom, Peridot and Monster Hunter Now. Developers use Niantic’s platform to build their own AR applications and experiences, either with the Lightship Platform or directly through the web with 8th Wall.
