Although it was only 14 minutes long, that didn't stop today's special Pokemon Day Pokemon Direct dropping a whole host of exciting updates for fans. From Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, two brand new games dropping in late 2022, to a major update for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, it's a brilliant time to be a Poke fan. Here's everything announced at today's Pokemon Day Direct.
Pokemon Go getting the Alolan Pokedex
Pokemon from the tropical Alola region will be making their way to Pokemon Go, starting from March 1. Until then, the comically-tall Alolan variant of Exeggutor will be appearing in the game, letting you catch them right now.
Pokemon Masters EX
Celebrating two and a half years, Pokemon Masters EX is kicking off a massive conglomeration of trainers. With almost 150 trainers in the game, some of the most powerful sync pairs from a number of regions will be heading to Victory Road to test your skills. Completing that classic challenge will let you team up with variations on Red, Blue, and Green in their Sigma Suits, and grant 5,000 free gems.
Elsewhere, new pairs will be heading to the game. May and Latias will arrive starting tomorrow, offering Psychic terrain in battles. From March 2, Skyla and Tornadus will bring flying-type boosts, and they'll be followed by Rihan and Flygon's weather-related abilities on March 4. To celebrate the 2.5-year anniversary, players will be able to scout up to 100 sync pairs at no cost, and from now until March 27, you'll get 3,000 gems just for logging in.
Pokemon Cafe Remix
Pelipper and Victini are making their way to Pokemon Cafe Remix, the former offering new delivery features and introducing new Pokemon to the game, and the latter offering a boost to the new puzzle mode arriving early this year. On top of that, events inspired by Bulbasaur and Piplup are on the way, with more information coming ahead of the game's second anniversary in June.
Pokemon Unite
A Pokemon Day event is kicking off in Pokemon Unite right now. Commemorative items will be available to all, as will mythical Pokemon Hoopa, albeit for a limited time. On top of that, there's a new quick-time battle mode to enjoy. That's not all, either, as Nintendo also teased the arrival of Duraludon as the game's next new addition - albeit with no date in tow.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Nintendo said it would soon be sending out Oak's Letter to players as a Mystery Gift, allowing them to meet the OG Pokemon Professor in game. More important than that, however, is that the item will also allow you to encounter the mythical grass-type Pokemon Shaymin - who looks like a cute, grassy hedgehog, and add them to your team. You'll be able to claim the gift starting today, and it'll be available until March 27.
Pokemon Legends Arceus update Daybreak
Head back to the Hisui region with the Daybreak update, a free download available later today. Focused on a new investigation causing a number of Mass Outbreaks, the update will also introduce a suite of new Pokemon Battles at the training ground. To make the most of the new content, you'll also be able to get 90 free balls - 30 each of Ultra, Gigaton, and Jet - by using the password ARCEUSADVENTURE.
Nintendo also announced a new online animated series focused on the Hisui region to release later in 2022, which seems to focus on Hisuian Zorua.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Pokemon Gen 9 has been confirmed. In a new trailer, we got our first look at a new region - potentially inspired by Spain - described as "open-world," as well as a bunch of returning Pokemon. Most importantly, however, we got to see the game's starters - a grass-type cat, a water-type duck, and a fire-type reptile that might be based on some kind of dinosaur. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are due to release in late 2022.
