February 27 is Pokemon Day!
February 27 is Pokemon Day, celebrating the anniversary of the release of the first Pokemon video games in Japan in 1996. As spotted by Serebii.net, for Pokemon Day in 2023, The Pokemon Company revealed a variety of Pokemon-themed announcements in a Pokemon Presents video presentation.
You can watch the complete Pokemon Presents video embedded below. Or, keep reading for the highlights!
Downloadable content (DLC) was announced for Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet, which launched on Nintendo Switch in November 2022. The DLC is called “The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero,” and it will be released in two parts.
Part 1: The Teal Mask is expected to be released in the fall of 2023, while Part 2: The Indigo Disk is expected to be released in winter of 2023.
A press release provided information about what players will do in this DLC:
“In Part 1: The Teal Mask, a school trip will take players to the land of Kitakami, where they will be joining an outdoors study program held jointly between their academy and another school. In Part 2: The Indigo Disk, players will be traveling to Blueberry Academy, a sister school of their own academy, as exchange students. While this tale is split into two parts, they link together to tell a connected story.”
The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC will add more than 230 Pokemon to Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. These Pokemon have been featured in previously-released Pokemon games, but they were not available in the base games of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
In addition, two new Legendary Pokemon will be introduced in this DLC. Part 1: The Teal Mask will feature the Legendary Pokemon Ogerpon, while Part 2: The Indigo Disk will feature the Legendary Pokemon Terapagos.
Finally, three new Pokemon will be introduced in Part 1: The Teal Mask: Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti.
Players can now pre-order The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC on the Nintendo eShop for $34.99. Once players purchase the DLC, they’ll receive immediate access to the “New Uniform Set” of clothing items in Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet. These clothing items can be worn right now, even before The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC is released.
In addition, if players purchase The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC before October 31, 2023, they’ll receive a code that will allow them to collect Hisuian Zoroark in Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
Originally revealed in 2019, Pokemon Sleep will be released on iOS and Android devices in summer 2023. The game will use the time a player spends sleeping in the real world to affect the game.
Pokemon Sleep will work with a new Pokemon Go Plus + device that’s scheduled to be released on July 21, 2023. Players will be able to connect the Pokemon Go Plus + device to Pokemon Sleep via Bluetooth and then place the device next to their pillow before they go to sleep to play the game.
In addition to being compatible with Pokemon Sleep, the Pokemon Go Plus + device can be used while playing the Pokemon Go mobile game to automatically throw Poke Balls at nearby Pokemon and spin the Photo Discs at PokeStops to collect in-game items.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet can now be connected to Pokemon Go. Specifically, players can now send a postcard from Pokemon Go into Pokemon Scarlet or Violet to receive an item called a Coin Bag, which they can use once per day. Once a player uses the Coin Bag in Pokemon Go, Roaming Form Gimmighoul will appear in Pokemon Go for a limited time.
If players send multiple postcards from Pokemon Go into Scarlet or Violet, they’ll have the chance to receive Golden Lure Modules in Pokemon Go that will turn PokeStops in Pokemon Go into Golden PokeStops. Players can visit these Golden PokeStops to receive Gimmighoul Coins. It’s also possible for Roaming Form Gimmighoul to appear near Golden PokeStops.
Once players collect 999 Gimmighoul Coins in Pokemon Go, they can evolve Roaming Form Gimmighoul into Gholdengo.
In addition to collecting Gimmighoul Coins from Golden PokeStops, Pokemon Go players can collect Gimmighoul Coins by catching Roaming Form Gimmighoul and by having Roaming Form Gimmighoul as their Buddy Pokemon.
Are you excited about any of the Pokemon announcements revealed for Pokemon Day? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
