February 2022 Pokemon Presents: Everything Announced
Pokemon dropped its 14-minute Pokemon Presents today, and it's packed full of interesting teasers for many Pokemon titles. As part of Pokemon Day celebrations (and to commemorate the fact that it's been a whopping 26 years since the games first launched in Japan), players can expect new updates, free gifts, and an all-new generation of games. Check out what exactly is going to happen over the next couple of weeks to make sure you don't miss out on any freebies!
Video game developer Game Freak has announced updates to pretty much every title it possibly could bring updates to. Sure, some players were hoping for a new "Let's Go" game (that's not happening) or for "Detective Pikachu" on the Switch (also not happening), but there's plenty of fun stuff to be excited about.
"Pokemon Go," "Pokemon Masters EX," "Pokemon Cafe Remix," "Pokemon Unite," "Pokemon Brilliant Diamond," "Pokemon Shining Pearl," and "Pokemon Legends Arceus" will all receive updates shortly. We're also getting a brand-new animated series, this time strictly online. Let's go over everything that was announced during the latest Pokemon Presents broadcast.
New Pokemon games, Pokemon Go and Pokemon Masters EX updates
Perhaps the biggest piece of information revealed today was that the next generation of Pokemon will hit the market later this year. Dubbed "Pokemon Scarlet" and "Pokemon Violet," the games will feature an open-world region, new starters, and many more Pokemon all out in the open. We've already detailed the new games, so make sure to check that out if you're excited for the ninth generation of Pocket Monsters.
The Pokemon Presents trailer starts out with "Pokemon Go," and it's pretty huge: Alola, the region found in "Pokemon Sun" and "Pokemon Moon," is coming to "Go" starting March 1, 2022. Until that happens, Alolan Exeggutor will start appearing in "Pokemon Go," letting players catch one for themselves.
"Pokemon Masters EX" is also receiving major updates as part of its two-and-a-half-year anniversary. Victory Road is being added, featuring powerful sync pairs from many regions and legendary trainers such as Blue, Lance, Cynthia, N, Steven, and Wallace. If you manage to complete Victory Road, you'll be given the chance to team up with Sygna Suit Red, Blue, or Leaf. You will also be awarded 5,000 gems.
Some new trainers in special outfits are coming to "Pokemon Masters EX" to celebrate Pokemon Day, including May with Latias starting February 28, Skyla with Tornadus starting March 2, and Raihan with Flygon starting March 4. Until March 17, players will be able to scout up to 100 sync pairs at no extra cost and will be given a 10-pair ticket every day. Lastly, 3,000 gems will be awarded to everyone as a login bonus.
Pokemon Cafe Remix and Pokemon Unite are also getting some love
"Pokemon Cafe Remix" is also receiving updates ahead of its second anniversary. A new game mode called Deliveries has been added, where a Pelipper will pick up the drinks made at your cafe and deliver them to far-away Pokemon. This will allow you to meet Pokemon that wouldn't otherwise make it to your cafe, including Victini, which will help you out with a powerful fire-type skill.
To celebrate Pokemon Day, "Cafe Remix" will host some events, including Bulbasaur's Happy Pokemon Day where you can get a cute crown for your Bulbasaur, as well as an increased chance to meet a Shiny Piplup and have it join your staff. You'll also get 11 express delivery items to try out the feature free of charge. New Pokemon will be joining "Cafe Remix" when it hits its second anniversary in June.
"Pokemon Unite" is getting a more modest update, although it looks to be fun — limited-time battles referred to as "full-fury mode". Until March 14, players will also be able to play with Hoopa and use it to warp Pokemon to other locations during battle. Hoopa can turn into Hoopa Unbound for some extra oomph. Completing all special missions will award the player with a Hoopa Unite license. Players can also get new outfits during the duration of the event. Lastly, Duraludon is coming to Pokemon Unite at an unspecified time in the future.
Pokemon BDSP and Pokemon Legends Arceus get free updates
"Pokemon Brilliant Diamond" and "Pokemon Shining Pearl" for Nintendo Switch are also receiving a small update, although it's not as groundbreaking as some of the other announcements. Players will be able to redeem a Mystery Gift containing a letter from Professor Oak. With that letter, players will be able to participate in a special event that will allow them to catch the mythical Pokemon Shaymin. The green hedgehog is both cute and powerful, so it's nice to see it joining the BDSP Pokemon lineup.
Some people anticipated that "Pokemon Legends Arceus" may receive a new DLC, and they were right — but surprisingly, this update is completely free and available right now. Titled "Pokemon Legends Arceus Daybreak Ver 1.1.0," the update sends the player on an investigation. Mysterious mass outbreaks of Pokemon are taking place all over the Hisui region. The trailer shows plenty of Alpha Pokemon, sometimes several at once, ready to fight the player.
Aside from the Pokemon outbreaks, the update will also let you battle some legendary Pokemon, presumably including the region-specific versions of Dialga and Palkia as shown in the trailer. Game Freak also teases a new challenge called Eternal Battle Reverie in which you meet Arceus in your dreams and take up a new strength challenge against super-strong Pokemon, including multiple legendary Pokemon at once. It seems that the challenge will be to maintain a winning streak for as long as possible.
"Pokemon Legends Arceus" is also receiving some freebies to celebrate Pokemon Day. In order to claim 30 Ultra Balls, 30 Gigaton Balls, and 30 Jet Balls, load up the game before March 31 and type in ARCEUSADVENTURE in the Mystery Gift menu. The Poke Balls are just the cherry on top of all of today's announcements, marking what seems to be the beginning of a very exciting year for Pokemon fans.