The Pokemon Company has been going full force with the celebration of the Pokemon franchise’s 25th anniversary. Even though the anniversary won’t officially take place until later this month, the company has been revealing to fans the festivities and collaborations they can expect for the special occasion, such as the exciting partnership with none other than Katy Perry herself.
Not only that, but The Pokemon Company will also be collaborating with Post Malone on February 17, who will host a virtual concert for the anniversary. Even McDonalds will be joining the festivities, as the American fast food company offered to include Pokemon cards into Happy Meals for the significant event.
That being said, it appears that Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield will be celebrating the milestone in-game as well. Not only will players obtain items for the occasion, but they’ll also be given a special Pikachu that has an ability that others of its kind don’t have. The official Play Pokemon account broke the news on Twitter, saying that this latest version of Pikachu will be able to use the move “Sing” in order to put enemy Pokemon to sleep.
Pikachu is celebrating 25 years of Pokémon with a song! Though it can’t ordinarily learn the move Sing, this special Pikachu is an exception!
Stay tuned while it practices its melody—we’ll provide details here on Feb 25 about how this Pikachu can join you in #PokemonSwordShield pic.twitter.com/ipRhndIDKO
— Play Pokémon (@playpokemon) February 11, 2021
The account hasn’t revealed how to obtain this version of the brand mascot yet, but it assures fans that it will reveal more information on February 25. That being said, Pokemon fans aren’t exactly thrilled by this announcement, especially since special event Pikachus are quite common already at this point.
As a matter of fact, many fans especially criticized this version of Pikachu because it doesn’t bring anything new or unique to the table. The Sing attack is a common move for many Pokemon in the base game—Pokemon such as Jigglypuff are even known to have this ability from the get-go.
Understandably, fans were hoping for something more interesting or useful, especially since the franchise is turning 25. What’s more, there’s a plethora of other Pokemon available that the company could have chosen from. While it makes sense for the team of developers to utilize Pikachu for special events like this, given the fact that the creature is the mascot for the brand, fans are somewhat tired of the many special Pikachus thrown their way.
YO!
This…
This…
This is the most unoriginal shit I’ve ever seen LMAO.
— SleepyPuff (@MrSleepyPuff) February 11, 2021
Look, this doesn't bother me, I don't care I'll just not get it
I just want to ask
Why, just why
Look pikachu is my favorite pokemon too gamefreak but so many? I don't see the point, you have a gift system on your game and this is how you wanna use it? Lmao
— ⭐XNÓX⭐ (@XNOXnoisy) February 11, 2021
In any case, whether or not fans are happy with the company’s decision, they can expect a singing Pikachu some time soon. More details about this in-game event will be revealed within the next few weeks. If the release of previous special Pikachus are anything to go by, interested fans will most likely be able to claim this singing version through a code that can be found on the in-game menu.
In other news, Pokemon fans have a lot to be excited about this year asides from the 25th anniversary celebration. Another anticipated title, New Pokemon Snap, will be released in April. This will serve as a follow-up to the Nintendo 64’s Pokemon Snap, which was released back in 1999.
What makes New Pokemon Snap even more exciting, asides from being a new game, is the fact that it will introduce a new region called Lental. Players can look forward to hours of snapping pictures of Pokemon such as Grookey, Torchic, and so much more.
