As a part of Pokémon’s 25th anniversary celebration (which is officially February 27), The Pokémon Company International is giving us a glimpse into the future of Pokémon games through a 20-minute livestream that starts at 7 a.m. PST tomorrow on the official Pokémon YouTube channel. Following this news, on Saturday at 4 p.m. PST, musician Post Malone is headlining a Pokémon Day virtual concert, in which he will perform a song oddly named “Pokémon 25 Version,” which is a cover of Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be With You.”
And you don’t need to wait until tomorrow to start celebrating. If you boot up Pokémon Sword or Shield right now, you can add a unique version of Pikachu to your ranks that knows the move Sing. Here’s how to add him:
- Enter the menu pressing the X button.
- Scroll down to Mystery Gift.
- Select “Get a Mystery Gift.”
- Now choose “Get with Code/Password.”
- Enter the code P25 MUS1C
- If it works, you’ll receive the message “Pikachu with Sing Gift.”
- The new version of Pikachu will emerge from a present and will either appear in a Pokémon box or your party if you have room.
What are you hoping to see during the livestream tomorrow? The dream would be a true sequel to Sword and Shield, but we don’t think that will happen. Game Informer‘s Brian Shea is rightfully tempering his expectations, and shared his thoughts on what he’d like to see. Along with more information on the forthcoming New Pokémon Snap, which seems like a given, Brian is hoping to hear of new Let’s Go games, more expansions for Sword and Shield, and the classic games back in their original forms. He also wants to see the 25th anniversary celebrated in style.
“I don’t want to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon with simply a plethora of Pikachu in Sword & Shield or an in-game Pokémon Go event where I have to pay $12 to participate,” he wrote. “Give us fun activities that harken back to the spirit of those first games. Have Team Rocket invade Sword & Shield or bring back the original gym leaders in the post-game arena. And you can keep your Pikachu with a party hat in Pokémon Go. Give us something to be excited about that feels like a true celebration, not a phoned-in “maybe I’ll check that out if I find time” cosmetic. I want these events to feel like must-see destinations.”
