Pokémon Presents February 2023: Everything Announced During the Pokémon Day 2023 Celebration
Pokémon Day 2023 is in full swing and, as is tradition, The Pokémon Company hosted a special Pokémon Presents event on February 27 to unveil all the exciting developments coming in the world of Pokémon.
Featuring all manners of announcements from the Pokémon games, TCG, television series, and more, the headlining reveal was perhaps in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expansion.
IGN has you covered right here with every single bit of news, big and small, that was announced during the February Pokémon Presents event.
Pokémon World Championship Dates and Key Art Revealed
The Pokémon Company kicked off the special by announcing the dates for the Pokémon World Championship taking place in Yokohama, Japan, alongside the event’s key art.
From August 11 to 23, 2023, Pokémon players of the trading card game, Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon GO, and more will meet to compete for the title of Pokémon Master.
The key art, drawn in a traditional Japanese style, features Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s starter Pokémon alongside Pikachu, of course, and can be viewed below.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic Announced
A new version of the original Pokémon Trading Card Game’s Base Set was announced next in the form of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Classic.
Though its exact nature is still unclear, this appears to be a one-off purchase, almost like a board game, of classic Pokémon card decks with a game board and pieces included.
Described by The Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara as “a premium Pokémon TCG set that will last a lifetime,” the event asked we be patient and wait for more information.
POKÉMON TCG CLASSIC HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED BY THE POKÉMON COMPANY (IMAGE CREDIT: THE POKÉMON COMPANY)
Pokémon Concierge Is a Stop-Motion Animation Series For Netflix
Another surprise announcement followed in the form of Pokémon Concierge, a partnership between The Pokémon Company and Netflix.
The series will be created using stop-motion animation and features Haru, the concierge of the Pokémon Resort, and her trusty partner Pokémon Psyduck.
We don’t know much else about Pokémon Concierge, but it will be an original story and, from the looks of things, will be relatively light-hearted and bright.
Is that Psyduck standing on the beach with Haru, the concierge!? Pokémon Concierge is coming… pic.twitter.com/Ttzdyc69V9
— Netflix (@netflix) February 27, 2023
Pokémon Unite Is Getting Sword’s Zacian
The legendary Pokémon Zacian from Pokémon Sword is officially coming to Pokémon Unite with its Sovereign Sword special attack.
Its addition to the game is also being celebrated with a special Zacian’s Weald event and players can also pick up a gold Zacian boost emblem using the Gift Code POKEMONDAY.
Details on the Pokémon Unite Asia Championship League was also shared, and The Pokémon Company promised that plenty more updates are on the way.
Trainers can complete missions in the Zacian’s Weald event to earn prizes, like a free Zacian UNITE License! #PokemonUNITE #PokemonDay pic.twitter.com/cPoFdT1aIF
— Pokémon UNITE (@PokemonUnite) February 27, 2023
Pokémon Café ReMix Gets Scarlet and Violet DLC
Pokémon Café ReMix is getting DLC based on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC as the three starter Pokémon, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, are coming to the game.
Available as part of the mini-games or as a new member of staff, the three new Pokémon are also joined by Victini, Mimikyu, Eevee, and Celebi who are returning as delivery candidates.
Finally, a special outfit for Greninja is being made available in celebration of Pokémon Day in the form of the Great Chef.
Scarlet and Violet’s starter Pokémon are joining Pokémon Café ReMix (Image Credit: The Pokémon Company)
Pokémon Masters EX Gets Rally With Six Classic Trainers
Six new classic Pokémon trainers are appearing in a rally in Pokémon Masters EX.
Cynthia from Diamond and Pearl, Iris and Alder from Black and White, Diantha from X and Y, Steven from Ruby and Sapphire, Lance from Red and Blue will be available to partner up with.
A handful of other announcements were made from the game, including for DLC inspired by Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Pokémon Masters EX is getting a new rally with six classic trainers (Image Credit: The Pokémon Company)
Pokémon Sleep Wakes Up, Launching This Summer
Pokémon Sleep was officially re-revealed during the event with a release window of summer 2023.
The app will track your sleeping patterns and will show you different sleep styles of the many different pocket monsters you can encounter in the game.
It aims to “turn sleeping into entertainment by having a player’s time spent sleeping, and the time they wake up, affect the gameplay,” letting players “wake up with Pokémon every morning.”
Pokémon GO Plus+ Announced for Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon GO
The Pokémon Company may already have released the Pokémon GO Plus, but it has now announced the Pokémon GO Plus+ (said as plus plus).
The new gadget is designed to work with Pokémon Sleep and, of course, Pokémon GO, and will be available on July 21 this year. A Pikachu inside the device will sing players lullabies and gets friendlier the more sleep the trainer gets.
As for its Pokémon GO functionality, the device will finally allow players to catch Pokémon and spin Poke-Stops automatically, a feature that’s otherwise only been available through third-party alternatives.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Expansions Announced
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are getting expansions akin to Pokémon Sword and Shield’s DLC, delivering two major story expansions to the games later this year.
The first will be available in fall 2023 and is called The Teal Mask, during which players will visit an area beyond the Paldea region called Kitakami. The second expansion is The Indigo Disk and will be released in winter 2023 and have players attend Blueberry Academy as an exchange student.
Pokémon Home connectivity was also announced for Scarlet and Violet, though only a vague “early 2023” date was revealed, while Pokémon GO connectivity is available as of today. Finally, the Walking Wake and Iron Leaves Tera Raid Battles are now available in Scarlet and Violet respectively.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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