Skip to main content

Pokemon

Palworld is a hit, and it’s easy to see why

The Pokémon-like has sold over 5 million copies in the three days since its early access launch.

Ash ParrishCommentsComment Icon Bubble
A
Amrita Khalid
Over five million copies of Palworld have been sold since Friday.

Lots of people have been catching Pals and hatching eggs, according to the game’s developer, Pocketpair. Palworld is also currently the most-played game on Steam, hitting a peak of roughly 1.5 million players.

The game, described by Kotaku as “if someone tossed Minecraft, Fortnite, Pokémon, and some AR-15s into a giant blender,” is a breakout hit despite seemingly coming out of nowhere.

More than 5 million Pal Tamers in only 3 days!
Pocketpair/X
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet could have been so much more

Mochi Mayhem and the Indigo Disk are lightyears away from perfection, but they offered a satisfying conclusion to the parts of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet that worked best.

Charles Pulliam-MooreCommentsComment Icon Bubble
C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
The premiere of Pokémon Horizons on Netflix just got a little further away.

It was a fine day when Netflix announced that PokémonHorizons’ English dub was finally set to hit Netflix this upcoming February, but it looks like we’re actually going to be waiting until March 7th to hang out with Liko and Sprigatito in Paldea.

C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
The end of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet begins with a peach.

The time for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s epilogue is finally here.

In order to dig into what seems to be Generation 9’s final chapter, though, you’ll have to complete both of the games’ DLC stories, and pick up the Mythical Pecha Berry Mystery Gift, which absolutely seems less like a delicious fruit, and more like a cursed Key Item you shouldn’t eat.

C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
No thoughts, just Pokémon Concierge run cycle animations.

As delightful as all of Pokémon Concierge’s minute background details are, Dwarf Animation could probably get away with a series that was nothing but these run cycle animations playing on repeat.

Pokémon Concierge is a beautiful reminder to take some time off

Netflix’s new stop-motion Pokémon series from Dwarf Animation Studio is on the shorter side of things, but each episode is a gorgeous testament to the power of relaxation.

Charles Pulliam-MooreCommentsComment Icon Bubble
A
Twitter
Ash Parrish
Time for one last Poké-adventure.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is getting a free update on January 11th. According to the post, the update is an epilogue, closing out the story of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. Students from Naranja and Uva academies will return to the land of Kitakami from The Teal Mask expansion for more pokémon adventures. To participate in the epilogue, you must reach a unspecified endgame moment in Scarlet / Violet and complete the Teal Mask and Indigo Disk main stories.

Pokémon is no longer just a game — it’s a lifestyle

The new live-action show PokéTsume is a full-circle moment for the franchise.

Alicia HaddickCommentsComment Icon Bubble
C
Charles Pulliam-Moore
The Pokémon Company and Tiffany are making a new kind of Luxury Ball.

The Pokémon Company recently started selling official replicas of the Luxury Balls that appear in many of Nintendo’s games.

But for those looking to get their hands on an even pricier, more luxurious, harder-to-find piece of spherical Poké-merch that screams “I’m about to wreck the Elite Four,” Tiffany’s new collaboration with artist Daniel Arsham might be just what you’re looking for.

1/3
C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Detective Pikachu’s new short gets the most important detail about his species right.

In the early days of Pokémon games, Pikachu used to be downright rotund by design, but the electric mouse gradually became skinner because that design was easier to animate.

Over the years, Nintendo’s alluded to Pikachu’s chunky past in a couple of clever ways, but none of them have been as delightful as the way the new Detective Pikachu animated short just says “screw it” and leans into that classic shunky Pikachu aesthetic.

Pokémon Sleep helped me catch ’em all — all the z’s, that is

The mobile app isn’t for everyone, but for one insomniac, Pikachu and Snorlax made a big difference.

Alexis OngCommentsComment Icon Bubble
C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Pokémon: Paldean Winds’ latest episode is a PSA about loving your starter

The Pokémon franchise has always emphasized how, in addition to being powerful brawlers, pocket monsters are intelligent beings with complex feelings. In the past, the Pokémon anime has framed trainers who don’t understand that as villains incapable of becoming true champions.

But Pokémon: Paldean Winds’ latest episode is all about how even the best battlers sometimes have to be reminded that pokémon — especially their starters — are friends first, and fighters second.

C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Scalpers have forced the Van Gogh Museum to stop giving out Pokémon promo cards

It was already bad enough how rabid scalpers ruined the launch of the Van Gogh Museum’s collaboration with The Pokémon Company. But now, the museum’s announced that — in response to the “undesirable situation” — it will no longer be passing out promo cards to visitors in order to keep them safe.

That said, the cards will still be available via the Pokémon Center.

C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Pikachu With the Grey Felt Hat returns.

Scalpers might have ruined everyone’s chances at grabbing a piece of merch from the Pokémon Company’s collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum, collectors hoping to get their hands on one of the coveted “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” promo cards are in luck.

Detective Pikachu Returns is a super effective story let down by dated visuals

Though Detective Pikachu Returns has an abundance of personality, its lackluster visuals keep it from feeling like a solid sequel to the original 3DS game.

Charles Pulliam-MooreCommentsComment Icon Bubble
C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
It’s Thursday, so of course Pokémon scalpers are ruining things for everybody.

The Pokémon Company tried to make the perks (read: promo cards and merch) from its collaboration with the Van Gogh museum to be accessible to everyone. But it seems like scalpers have been swarming the exhibit in Amsterdam to snatch up cards, and forcing the museum to change its sales policy for the exclusive goodies. Good job, folks.

The Teal Mask is a short, sweet reminder of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s real potential

The Pokémon games may be in their open-world era, but Scarlet and Violet’s new DLC proves that a little bit more focus on smarter, more linear gameplay can work wonders.

Charles Pulliam-MooreCommentsComment Icon Bubble
C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
It’s time to Pokémon van Gogh to the museum.

The Pokémon Company’s art-focused collaborations have gradually become one of the niftiest parts of the franchise over the past few years, and it seems as if there’s another one on the horizon that’ll bring trainers to Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum beginning September 28th.

V
Youtube
Victoria Song
Cry again (in English) as Ash and Pikachu sign off.

Ash and Pikachu hung up their pokéballs in the Japanese version of the show earlier this year. But if you want to watch the sweet sendoff in English, the last batch of dubbed Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series episodes drops today on Netflix.

To mark the end of the era, there’s also a newly remixed version of the iconic theme song. Shut up, I’m not crying, you’re crying. They were the very best.

E
Twitter
Emma Roth
Fill Your Pocket with Adventure.

That’s the name of the new live-action Pokémon series, which centers around the video game franchise itself. It tells the story of Madoka Akagi (played by Nanase Nishino) who revisits the original Pokémon Red for the first time since her childhood. The series comes out on October 19th in Japan, but there’s no word on a subtitled version just yet.

C
Twitter
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Pokémon Go’s Paldean adventure kicks off September 1st.

Pokémon Go might not have the best track record with keeping pace with Nintendo’s mainline games in terms of being filled with monsters from every generation, but just in time for Scarlet and Violet’s upcoming DLC drop, pokémon from the Paldea region are slated to start popping up in the mobile game as part of the Adventures Abound event on September 1st.

A
Youtube
Andrew Webster
Matcha do about nothing.

As part of the reveal for the latest pokémon — which will debut in the upcoming Scarlet and Violet expansion next month — we have this charming little ghost story that makes tea surprisingly spooky.

C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
This is how you get new players into the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Usually, the Pokémon Company sticks to flashy set name reveals to advertise the Pokémon Trading Card Game. That’s probably not changing any time soon, but with Pokémon: Path to the Peak — a new animated web series about a young girl learning to play the game for the first time — the company seems to be trying out something a little different that’s almost certain to get kids and nostalgic adults itching to pick up a deck.

The Game Boy’s Pokémon Trading Card Game is still unrivaled 25 years later

The Pokémon tabletop card game has radically evolved since its debut, but Nintendo’s Game Boy adaptation is still a phenomenal crash course in learning how to play.

Charles Pulliam-MooreCommentsComment Icon Bubble
C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Another Pokémon Scarlet and Violet anime series is coming to YouTube this September.

Following in the footsteps of previous Pokémon games like Sword and Shield, and Arceus, a new digital-first, animated series inspired by Scarlet and Violet is in the works.

Similar to Pokémon: Twilight Wings and Pokémon: Hisuian Snow, Pokémon: Paldean Winds introduces new trainers whose adventures are similar to those featured in the games, and the trailer makes it seem like the four-episode-long series will follow them all across Paldea when it hits the Pokémon Youtube channel on September 6th.