Feb. 27 is Pokémon Day, the anniversary of the day the franchise's first games released in Japan and, like most anniversaries, this big event often features celebrations, reveals and promotions. This year will be no different as The Pokémon Company has revealed their plans for Pokémon Day 2020, which most notably included the reveal of a new Mythical Pokémon. Other events include a special Max Raid Battle for Pokémon Sword and Shield, a special event for Pokémon GO and news on the mobile game Pokémon Masters.
Pokémon Day is the perfect time to reveal a new Mythical. In previous games, all or most of the Pokémon included in the generation could be found within the game data at launch. This meant that data miners were able to leak unrevealed Mythicals like Arceus, Hoopa and Marshadow months, sometimes even years, before their official reveal. The previous generation made an effort to prevent this by withholding Zeraora from the initial Generation VI games and adding it to Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, but this meant that players could not use the new creature in older games.
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Sword and Shield has used software updates to add new content fixing both the issues of leaks and compatibility. The recently revealed Expansion Pass will bring previously unobtainable Pokémon to the games, but players who don't purchase the DLC will still be able to access the returning 'Mons through a free patch.
Since the era of playground Mew rumors, Mythical Pokémon have helped keep the games fresh between releases. Even in the days when they leaked shortly after launch, the official announcement of these Pokémon and how to legally obtain them encouraged fans to get back into the game. Mythicals also tend to take a starring role in the annual Pokémon movie, and this one will be no different. The new Mythical will be featured in Pokémon the Movie: Coco set to release in Japan this July. And speaking of the movies, Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution will finally receive its international release when it starts streaming on Netflix on Pokémon Day.
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This year's Pokémon Day certainly offers a lot for fans, but 2020 will be somewhat quiet compared to past years. The day itself wasn't officially promoted by The Pokémon Company until 2016 (the franchise's 20th anniversary), but the past four years have featured game announcements and releases. The past two generations were revealed via Pokémon Direct on February 27, so the day has taken on even more significance in recent years.
The 2016 announcement of Sun and Moon featured little in terms of actual content, instead focusing on a series retrospective for the 20th anniversary. Last year's Direct, however, came with game details including the starter Pokémon and a map of the new Galar region.
Details for the GO and Masters events have yet to be revealed, along with what Pokémon will be featured in the special Max Raid Battles, but regardless, a new Pokémon will easily overshadow these promotions. Pokémon Days during years when a new generation is not expected tend to be quieter. Past promotions in off-years have included new Pokémon figures, Snapchat lenses that feature the Kanto starters and Pikachu wearing party hats in Pokémon GO. Since Sword and Shield are so new and DLC for them have already been announced, a new Mythical is the perfect reveal to celebrate Pokémon's big day.
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