Pokémon Presents February 2023: Everything Announced During the Pokémon Day 2023 Celebration
As Pokemon Day 2023 is in full swing, as is tradition, The Pokemon Company hosted a special Pokemon Presents event on February 27th to announce all the exciting developments coming to the world of Pokemon.
Featuring all sorts of announcements from Pokémon games, TCGs, TV series, and more, the headline announcement was probably the hidden treasure of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Area Zero expansion.
IGN covers all the big and small news announced here. Pokémon Presents Event in February.
Pokémon World Championship dates and key art revealed
The Pokémon Company kicked off the special by announcing the dates for the Pokémon World Championship in Yokohama, Japan, along with key art for the event.
From August 11th to 23rd, 2023, Pokémon players from trading card games, Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon GO and more will come together to compete for the title of Pokémon Master.
The key art, painted in a traditional Japanese style, of course, features the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet starter Pokémon alongside Pikachu, which you can see below.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Classic Announced
A new version of the original Pokémon Trading Card Game core set was next announced in the form of Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic.
Its exact nature is still unknown, but this appears to be a one-time purchase of a classic Pokemon card deck with a game board and pieces included, almost like a board game.
The Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara described the event as a “premium Pokémon TCG set that will last a lifetime,” and urged us to wait patiently for more information.
Pokemon Concierge is a stop-motion animated series on Netflix
Another surprise announcement followed in the form of Pokemon Concierge, a partnership between The Pokemon Company and Netflix.
The series was created using stop-motion animation and features Pokémon Resort concierge Haru and her trusted partner Pokémon Kodak.
I don’t know much else about Pokémon Concierge, but it’s an original story, and from the looks of things, it’s going to be relatively lighthearted and upbeat.
That Psyduck is standing on the beach with the concierge Haru!? The Pokémon Concierge is coming… pic.twitter.com/Ttzdyc69V9
— Netflix (@netflix) February 27, 2023
Pokemon Unite gets the sword Zacian
Pokemon Sword’s legendary Pokemon Zacian officially makes an appearance in Pokemon Unite with his Sovereign Sword special attack.
The addition to the game is also being celebrated with a special Zacian’s Weald event, where players can also claim a gold Zacian boost emblem using the gift code POKEMONDAY.
Details about the Pokemon Unite Asia Championship League were also shared, with The Pokemon Company promising more updates to come.
Trainers can complete missions in the Zacian’s Weald event to win prizes like a free Zacian UNITE license! #pokemon unite #pokemon day pic.twitter.com/cPoFdT1aIF
— Pokemon Unite (@PokemonUnite) February 27, 2023
Scarlet and Violet DLC Coming to Pokémon Café ReMix
Pokémon Café ReMix will get DLCs based on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLCs, as three starter Pokémon, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, will appear in the game.
The three new Pokémon available as part of mini-games or as new staff members will also be joined by returning Victini, Mimikyu, Eevee, and Celebi as delivery candidates.
Finally, Greninja’s special costume will be available in the form of the Great Chef in celebration of Pokémon Day.
Scarlet and Violet starter Pokémon join Pokémon Café ReMix (Image credit: The Pokémon Company)
Pokemon Masters EX gets Rally with 6 classic trainers.
In Pokemon Masters EX, six new classic Pokemon Trainers are appearing in Rally.
Cynthia in Diamond and Pearl, Iris and Alder in Black and White, Diantha in X and Y, Stephen in Ruby and Sapphire, and Lance in Red and Blue can be partners.
Several other announcements were made from the game, including DLC inspired by Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Pokémon Masters EX gets a new rally with six classic trainers (Image credit: The Pokémon Company)
Pokemon Sleep Wake Up, launching this summer
Pokemon Sleep was officially relaunched during the event for the Summer 2023 release window.
The app tracks your sleep patterns and displays different sleep styles for different pocket monsters you encounter in the game.
It aims to “turn sleep into entertainment by spending the player’s time sleeping, and the time they wake up affects gameplay,” allowing players to “wake up every morning with their Pokémon.”
Pokémon GO Plus+ was announced for Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon GO.
The Pokémon Company may have already released Pokémon GO Plus, but now it has announced Pokémon GO Plus+ (referred to as Plus Plus).
The new gadget is designed to work with Pokémon Sleep and, of course, Pokémon GO, and will be available on July 21st of this year. The Pikachu in the device sings the player’s lullaby and gets along better the more the Trainer sleeps.
As for Pokémon GO functionality, the device will ultimately allow players to catch Pokémon and automatically spin PokéStops.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet expansion announced
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are getting expansions similar to DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield, which will give the game two major story expansions later this year.
The first will be available in Fall 2023 and will be called “Teal Mask”, during which players will visit an area beyond the Pardea region known as Up North. The second expansion is Indigo Disk, which will be released in winter 2023 and will take the player as an exchange student he joins Blueberry Academy.
Scarlett and Violet’s Pokemon Home connection was also announced, though only a vague “early 2023” date was revealed, while the Pokemon GO connection is available starting today. Leaf Terra Raid Battles are now available for Scarlet and Violet respectively.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and UK news editor. He talks about witchers all day long.
