The Pokemon World Championships 2021 have been called off because of the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. The event was slated to take place in London, making it the first Pokemon World Championships to happen outside of the United States. This is the second year in a row that the Pokemon World Championships have been delayed due to COVID-19 implications.
2021 is set to be a big year for the Pokemon franchise, marking the 25th anniversary of the franchise as well as the 5th anniversary of Pokemon Go’s launch. This month is specifically special because the end of February sees Pokemon’s actual birthday, called Pokemon Day, on February 27.
Fun events and revelations are anticipated on this monster-collecting holiday, and the rest of the year will include additional Pokemon content including the launch of New Pokemon Snap. In honor of Pokemon Go’s fifth year anniversary, the mobile alternate-reality game has received a myriad of special events commemorating the franchise’s different locations. A forthcoming Kanto Tour Event, starting February 20, will let players capture Pokemon from the franchise original roster of 150 monsters.
Sadly, The Pokemon Company has revealed that this year’s Pokemon World Championships has been canceled for the second time in a row. After talking with different global and local health organizations, the company has decided to delay the event until next year.
This postponement also extends to all Play! Pokemon events including the League Challenge and League Cup. All invitations to the Pokemon World Championships 2020 will continue to be accepted for next year’s event, which is still slated to take place in London.
In spite of being around for twenty-five years, the Pokemon brand shows no signs of slowing down. The franchise’s most recent game release, 2019’s Pokemon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch was the first entry to exceed 20 million sales since Pokemon Gold and Silver in 1999. Pokemon Sword and Shield received two DLCs, both launched last year and continues to get post-launch support including community events.
The Pokemon franchise is extremely famous all over the world. From competitive card games to animated TV shows to RPGs, the franchise has the wide appeal to reach a colossal and faithful fan base. While the cancelation of the Pokemon World Championships is indeed frustrating, the coronavirus pandemic makes it impossible to hold the big event in safe situations.
While this is definitely a devastating development, this significant year for the series is certain to contain plenty of exciting new Pokemon content.
