The Pokémon Company International signed a 5 year deal with Russia Free-to-Air broadcaster 2X2 to broadcast the Pokémon anime and latest movies. The series will start with the Pokémon: Black and White season on May 1st, 2014 while the Pokémon the Series: XY will launch in September. Viewers will be able to watch select episodes on 2X2's Pokémon TV app.

Lev Makarov, the CEO of 2X2 was quoted saying: “We are happy to have Pokémon back in the Russian market as it’s a well recognized brand in Russia. We have especially scheduled Pokémon at times when adults and children are at home, so they have more opportunities to spend time together.”

Emily Arons, the senior vice president of International Business at The Pokémon Company International said: “To be back airing in Russia is an exciting opportunity, and were happy to be partnering with a broadcaster like 2X2 as they expand their family offering.”

The Pokémon Trading Card Game: XY expansion will also launch later in the year.

Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/212769/Russia_celebrates_the_return_of_Pokeacutemonanimation.php

The Pokémon Company and Netflix announced today that Pokémon: Indigo League and Pokémon: Black & White seasons will be available to watch on Netflix starting on March 1st, 2014. Pokémon The Movie White Victini and Zekrom and Pokémon The Movie Black Victini and Reshiram will also be available. Viewers require a Netflix subscription in order to view them. Netflix is the second streaming service to offer the Pokémon anime as it's currently available on Hulu.

Netflix Is Next for Pokémon!

Watch Pokémon episodes and movies instantly on Netflix! Beginning Saturday, March 1st, Netflix members can instantly stream hours of awesome Pokémon animation! Don’t miss aspiring Pokémon Master Ash and his trusted Pokémon partner, Pikachu, as they embark on adventures through two popular seasons of the animated series and two action-packed feature films.

Netflix members can watch TV episodes from the Pokémon: Black & White season, where Ash and Pikachu traveled to the Unova region to discover new rivals, new challenges, and all-new Pokémon. The very first season of Pokémon animation, Pokémon: Indigo League, will also be available to stream instantly. The classic season introduces viewers to the world of Pokémon through Ash and Pikachu as Ash strives to become a Pokémon Master.

Pokémon fans can also catch Ash, Pikachu, and their friends in the dual movies Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram and Pokémon the Movie: White—Victini and Zekrom. Watch as Ash must prove himself a hero to earn the help of the Legendary Reshiram—or Zekrom—to rescue the Mythical Pokémon Victini and save Eindoak Town. Two Legendary Pokémon...and two exciting versions of the story! Visit Netflix today to watch exciting Pokémon adventures in TV and film!

Source: http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/netflix-is-next-for-pokemon/

Nintendo has revealed that they will be closing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii. All games that have Internet functionality will no longer be able to access those options. Games will still be playable locally, just without the Internet options.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service for Nintendo DS and Wii to end in May

As of May 20, 2014, certain online functionality offered through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will no longer be accessible. The discontinued services include online play, matchmaking and leaderboards for many Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi games. For a comprehensive list of games and services that are affected, please check http://support.nintendo.com/servicesupdate. Users can still play the games in offline mode, which continues to offer a rich game-play experience.

Online play for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games will be unaffected (aside from the Wii mode on Wii U and Nintendo DS games on Nintendo 3DS family systems). Other online functionality, such as access to the Wii Shop Channel, the Nintendo DSi Shop and video-on-demand services, are also not affected at this time.

We at Nintendo sincerely thank our fans for their continued support of our company’s legacy systems. Your enthusiasm for games made for these systems speaks to their longevity, and the passion of Nintendo fans.

List of affected Nintendo software titles:

Note: Game functionality that does not require an Internet connection will remain unchanged.

• Pokémon Black Version
• Pokémon Black Version 2
• Pokémon Diamond Version
• Pokémon HeartGold Version
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
• Pokémon Pearl Version
• Pokémon Platinum Version
• Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs
• Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
• Pokémon SoulSilver Version
• Pokémon White Version
• Pokémon White Version 2
• Pokémon Battle Revolution
• Pokémon Conquest
• My Pokémon Ranch

Source: http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/vyWpoM6CBIe6FjW8NIY7bvzOrgBURhzw

Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire: Super Music Collection has been added to iTunes for purchase. The CD was originally released in Japan almost 11 years ago on April 26th, 2003. Each track can be purchased on iTunes for $0.99USD each (£0.79) or the entire collection can be purchased for $9.99USD (£7.99).


8 tracks that are on the Japanese CD are not included in the bundled iTunes collection. The tracks missing from iTunes collection are: Eye Contact! Shorts Boy, Eye Contact! Miniskirt, Twins, Eye Contact! Hiker, Gym, Got a Badge, Dive and SLATEPORT CITY. Our CD database has been updated with the English track title.

Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire: Super Music Collection launches on iTunes today

Today, The Pokémon Company International released a digitally remastered soundtrack from the Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire video games.

Released in Europe in July 2003, Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire were set in the island region of Hoenn, based on a real-world location, with the composers—Junichi Masuda, Gō Ichinose, and Morikazu Aoki—taking much of their inspiration from the Japanese island of Kyushu. Over ten years after the games’ original launch, the soundtrack releasing today includes beautifully adapted and orchestrated versions of their music.

Fans looking to complete their collections can look forward to more from the Pokémon musical archives with upcoming Super Music Collections from:

• Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl
• Pokémon Black and Pokémon White
• Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2

Today’s launch follows other digitally remastered soundtracks in the Super Music Collection series. These have included Pokémon X & Pokémon Y, Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen, and most recently Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver.

Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire: Super Music Collection can be downloaded on iTunes now at the following link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/pokemon-ruby-pokemon-sapphire/id820996217

The Pokémon Company International revealed a newly discovered Pokémon from the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y video games, Rock- and Fairy-type Pokémon, Diancie! Diancie is an extremely rare Mythical Pokémon, a special Pokémon that cannot be found during normal gameplay. Known to boast the greatest beauty in all the world, Diancie’s body glitters pink, captivating the hearts of many. During battle, Diancie can produce a great volume of diamonds instantaneously by compressing air between its hands. It uses these diamonds to attack enemies and protect itself.

Details on how Pokémon X and Pokémon Y players can get Diancie will be shared at a later date. Images and screenshots for Diancie have been added to our Dex and Imageboard.

Meet Diancie in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y Trailer

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcGXa9IJetY

The Pokémon Company International released a digital remastered soundtrack for Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver on iTunes on January 14th, 2014. It can be downloaded on iTunes at the following link: https://itunes.apple.com/gd/album/pokemon-heartgold-pokemon/id796790051. Information about the soundtrack can be found in our CD database. The soundtrack was originally released in Japan on October 28th, 2009.

Press Release - Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver: Super Music Collection launches on iTunes today.

The Pokémon Company International today has released a digital remastered soundtrack from Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver.

The game, which released in 2010, featured in-game music composed by Junichi Masuda, Gō Ichinose, and Morikazu Aoki, and included remixes of iconic 8-bit themes from Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver.

The soundtrack releasing today includes beautifully adapted and orchestrated versions of the original music.

Fans can expect more to come in 2014 from the Pokémon musical archives, including the soundtracks of:

1. Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire
2. Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl
3. Pokémon Black and Pokémon White
4. Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2

The launch follows previously released soundtracks of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, and Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, under the Super Music Collection moniker.

Pokémon Bank Delayed

Pokémon Bank (ポケモンバンク) and Poké Transporter (ポケムーバー) launched yesterday on the Nintendo 3DS eShop in Japan but not too long after, the entire Nintendo Online Service had massive issues as it was overloaded with people attempting to access it for eShop downloads as well as updating their new systems they got for Christmas. As people received new Wii U and 3DS's as presents, most of those required firmware update downloads. In combination with people attempting to create new Nintendo Network ID's, the Nintendo Network Service was overloaded. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company International have also posted an announcement regarding the delay.


Nintendo of Japan announced that they have temporarily removed Pokémon Bank from the Nintendo 3DS eShop to help lower the server issues. Players that were able to download the application will not be able to use it as its related services are down also. Nintendo of America did post their weekly press release for new downloads and it does state that Pokémon Bank is one of the available downloads. Release dates for both regions are currently unknown.

Pokémon Bank Announcement

Release of Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter postponed due to a large volume of traffic to the Nintendo Network service

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company International have postponed the launch of Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter - two software applications that were originally scheduled to launch for Nintendo 3DS on Dec. 27 - due to a large volume of traffic to the Nintendo Network service. Due to the high traffic, players are having trouble setting up Nintendo Network IDs and downloading content in the Nintendo eShop on both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. We truly regret the inconvenience, and wish to reassure everyone that providing a solution is our top priority. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your continued patience.

Source: http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2393/p/430

Press Release - Nintendo Download Highlights New Digital Content for Nintendo Systems

Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS - Pokémon Bank – Pokémon Bank is an application and service for Pokémon X and Pokémon Y that allows you to deposit, store and manage your Pokémon in private Boxes on the Internet. Pokémon Bank will be available on Dec. 27 with a free, 30-day trial for everyone who downloads and activates it prior to Jan. 31. After that, Pokémon Bank will be a paid service, with an annual subscription fee of $4.99.

Sources: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/network/en_na/network_status.jsp and http://www.nintendo.co.jp/support/information/2013/1226.html

Rating Battles Season 2

To coincide with the launch of Pokémon Bank and PokéTransporter, the second season of the Pokémon Global Link Rating Battles has now begun. Since PokéTransporter allows players to import Pokémon from Black, White, Black 2 and White 2, this second season will operate very differently from the first.

The rules for the Special Battles in Season 2 is as follows:
The format is Double Battles.
Only Pokémon found in either of the Kalos Pokédexes are allowed, some legendaries excluded.
Pokémon must be obtained in Pokémon X or Y, no Pokémon imported via the PokéTransporter may be used.
Between 4-6 Pokémon between level 1 and 100 may be used.
Pokémon with a level of 51 or higher will have their level reduced to 50.

The launch of this new season was announced on the Japanese Holo Caster. We have set up a subpage listing all Pokémon Holo Caster announcement, complete with English translations of the Japanese announcements, here.

Sources: http://3ds.pokemon-gl.com/information/356321fc-2949-45bc-a3ce-b0f8279dc295 and http://3ds.pokemon-gl.com/information/edf84885-7f88-4fac-8760-9000b3284a0f.

Cartoon Network and the Pokémon Company have revealed that the next season of the English dub will begin on Saturday, January 18th, 2014 at 8:30 a.m. A trailer for the Pokémon the Series: XY was posted on YouTube and it features a new rendition of the original dub opening theme.

It was also revealed that Mewtwo — Prologue to Awakening will air on Cartoon Network on January 11th, 2014, almost three months after the 16th movie premiered on the station. Both the Region 1 DVD and the Australian/New Zealand DVD do not include this vital prologue OVA. It originally aired a few days before the Japanese theatrical premiere in July of 2013. The Japanese Mewtwo pack DVD, the Movie 16 DVD, and the Movie 16 Bluray do include this prologue OVA though.

The Digitally Remastered English dubbed version of the first Pokémon Movie will air on Saturday, January 4th, 2014 at 8:30 a.m. The digitally remastered Bluray set was released in Japan in November of 2012.

Teaser Trailer

Press Release - The latest season of Pokémon animation begins January 18th, 2014, on Cartoon Network!

Tune in to Cartoon Network on Saturday, January 18th, to watch the debut episode of Pokémon the Series: XY and see Ash and Pikachu set off on their adventures in the Kalos region! Along the way, they’re joined by some new friends—a genius inventor named Clemont, his little sister Bonnie, and Serena, a Trainer on her first journey.

The action begins when Ash immediately tries to challenge the Gym in Lumiose City, but doesn’t get very far before he is thrown out! In between Gym battles, Ash and friends will be exploring this unique region, meeting all kinds of new Pokémon, and looking into a fascinating new Pokémon mystery!

Pokémon the Series: XY begins January 18th at 8:30 a.m. on Cartoon Network. Be sure to tune in every Saturday at the same time throughout the year to watch all the Pokémon fun in the Kalos region!

Press Release - Cartoon Network

Pokémon the Series: XY Season 17 to Premiere on Cartoon Network on Saturday, January 18th at 8:30 a.m. (ET, PT) Pokémon the Series: XY, the 17th season of the beloved animated series, is premiering this January on Cartoon Network. This season Ash Ketchum sets out to explore the Kalos region, an all-new region full of never-before-seen Pokémon! Along the way, they’re joined by some new friends—a genius inventor named Clemont, his little sister Bonnie, and Serena, a trainer on her first journey. Ash immediately tries to challenge the Gym in Lumiose City, but doesn’t get very far before a robot throws him out! In between Gym battles, Ash and friends will be exploring this unique region, meeting all kinds of new Pokémon, and looking into a fascinating new Pokémon mystery! The new season premieres on Saturday, January 18 at 8:30 a.m. (ET, PT).

Catch all the fun by watching the digitally remastered version of Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back airing Saturday, January 4 at 8:30 a.m. (ET, PT) and Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened featuring a special half-hour prequel Pokémon: Mewtwo — Prologue to Awakening on Saturday, January 11 at 8:30 a.m. (ET, PT).

Sources: http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/anim_season17_announce-2013-12-19/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIXdyRpuSLc

Nintendo has posted the Version 1.2 Update of Pokémon X and Y on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. The fix encrypts Wi-Fi packets making it a lot harder for people to inspect and inject packets. The patch is 236 blocks and those that didn't download the Version 1.1 can directly upgrade to 1.2.

Pokémon Update Data v1.2

New update data (Version 1.2) for Pokémon X and Pokémon Y has been released in Nintendo eShop and replaces Version 1.1. This new version contains the fixes in both versions. All customers who own Pokémon X or Pokémon Y should download this update data, even if they have already downloaded Version 1.1.

Ver. 1.2 (13.12.2013)

• Fixes the issue where moves which Pokémon learn while evolving with Wonder Trade are not appearing.
• Fixes the issue where some users can't view the promotion video tagline in the Lumiose City event.
• Minor changes to the Internet connection method.

Important notes: It is necessary to download this update to access Pokémon X and Pokémon Y features which require the Internet after 13th December 2013.

Source: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/

Whether you're preparing for competitive Pokémon battles or you've just gotta catch 'em all, Pokémon Bank is a powerful new tool for Kalos Trainers. Deposit, store, and manage your Pokémon in private Boxes and transfer them into your Pokémon X and Pokémon Y video games.

Press Release

Today The Pokémon Company International released a new video showcasing the features and functionality of the Pokémon Bank, a new Nintendo 3DS downloadable software service for Pokémon X and Pokémon Y launching December 27.




With Pokémon Bank, players can:

• Deposit, withdraw, and manage up to 3,000 Pokémon in private boxes online through an internet connection
• Transfer Pokémon from multiple copies of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, including the downloadable versions, using one Nintendo 3DS system
• Transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, and Pokémon White 2 to Pokémon X and Pokémon Y using the Poké Transporter, a linked application received when you download Pokémon Bank.

Players who download Pokémon Bank and its linked application, Poké Transporter, between December 27, 2013 and January 31, 2014 will receive a complimentary trial pass within the application, which will let them experience the Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporters services at no charge for 30 days. After this time period, the Pokémon Bank service will cost £4.49/€4.99 per year.