The Pokémon Company has donated ¥50 million ($350,000) to the Japanese Red Cross Society towards supporting those impacted by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1 2024, which caused particular damage to Wajima, Suzu and, of course, Noto.
"The Pokémon Company has decided to donate 50 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society and donations to support organisations in order to help those affected by the disaster and to help restore the affected areas," the Pokémon with You Foundation tweeted.
"Additionally, through the Pokémon With You Foundation, we will continue to carry out activities to help children affected by the disaster regain their smiles. We sincerely pray for the earliest possible recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-stricken areas."
Japan's giant
As the highest-grossing media franchise in the world, one of the Japanese giant's biggest games in recent years has naturally been Pokémon Go. And as Niantic’s flagship AR game, it's starting 2024 off strong with new events, collaborations and, of course, new species of ever-coveted Shiny Pokémon.
Among the new additions, Dusk Form Lycanroc and Shiny Rowlet debuted on January 6, bringing tropical fan favourites from Alola to the game. Shiny Cutiefly is next, coming on January 13, to be swiftly followed by Hisuian Typhlosion on January 14.
In a continued deviation from the Paldean push, Pokémon Go has been returning to the 3DS era for the start of 2024, with Rowlet and Cutiefly having debuted in 2016’s Sun and Moon, and Dusk Form Lycanroc in the enhanced Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in 2017.
Rowlet in particular marked something of an internet phenomenon at the time, and now, more than seven years later, the bright-blue Shiny version has finally landed in Pokémon Go via a Community Day, which encouraged players to search together and take on Raids to increase spawns.
As for Shiny Cutiefly next weekend, it will have a chance of appearing in the wild and from hatching eggs, giving players yet another reason to get walking: the more exercise, the more eggs they will hatch. With gamers now spending more time outdoors than non-gamers, that shouldn’t be too bad.
Lastly, Hisuian Typhlosion breaks the Alolan trend, coming instead from the Hisui region as seen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus on Nintendo Switch. Its inclusion marks the latest ancient Pokémon to join Go, giving the Switch title another boost through an appearance in Raid battles - geared more towards the hardcore Go players who go beyond just catching. And while Hisuian Typhlosion will appear to free-to-play fans, a $5 purchase will unlock eight extra battle opportunities, 50% more XP and twice the stardust from Raids.
Niantic’s limited-time purchase options clearly pay off, as Pokémon Go finds itself as one of the industry’s most successful revenue generators of all time. Overall, events this month include Timeless Travels, The Dazzling Dream and Lustrous Odyssey, while a partnership between Fendi, FRGMT and Pokémon brings exclusive clothing to the game and more spawns around Fendi’s retail locations (which Go players may then decide to shop within), showing just one way in which other companies can benefit from Go's success too.
