Vol. 1, Issue 9 - The Legacy of Pokémon (Part 2)
Continuing my personal Pokémon adventures, and sharing current Pokémon news stories.
Last month I began sharing my Legacy of Pokémon feature, where I take you through my story of how I became a Pokémon fan, all the way to the present day. This week’s content will share a second part, detailing generation one, and the first time I played the mainline series of games. It was fun to look back on something I experienced more than twenty years ago, and I hope that it will resonate with some other fans out there who may have had a similar experience to me. You can find it in the Features section, and by clicking on the link below:
Three notable bits of Pokémon news caught my attention within the past week that I have to express my thoughts on. The first was the announcement that Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO, will be making changes to Remote Raid gameplay, a feature that was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage people to keep playing from home. The cost of these passes is set to double, and there will now be limitations on the number which can be used in a single day.
Remote Raid passes were sold through the in-game app for players to take part in raids that they wouldn't be able to reach. As a consequence, it also allowed people who couldn’t normally engage with in-person raids, due to disabilities or their mental health, the opportunity to enjoy the game significantly more than they were able to before. Eurogamer recently sat down with Pokémon GO's vice president Ed Wu to talk about the situation, and I recommend checking out that interview.
Secondly, I’m really excited by the announcement of a brand-new Pokémon card set, featuring the original 151 Pokémon, including Kadabra who hasn’t been seen in the Pokémon TCG since Skyridge by Wizards of the Coast in 2003! This 165-card set (plus secret rares) arrives in Japan on June 16th 2023. Based on the previews, the artwork is based on the art from the original sets, which is quite cool. I am highly tempted to buy and complete this one when it inevitably releases outside of Japan.
Finally, it was confirmed that Tsunekazu Ishihara (CEO) and Hirokazu Tanaka (President) have stepped down from Creatures Inc, one of the companies that make up the Pokémon Company. Yuji Kitano has been appointed President and CEO, with Tomotaka Komura as Executive Vice President.
See you all next week!