Pokémon Events and News
Upcoming events in mobile Pokémon
There’s a lot going on in the world of Pokémon these days, especially in Pokémon Go and Pokémon Masters – oh, and some movie news too!
Pokémon GO
- Pokémon Day 2020 event is live until March 2nd @ 21:00 UTC
- Pikachu and Eevee wearing party hats spawn in the wild
- Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle with party hats can be found in 7km eggs and One-Star Raids
- More Pokémon from the Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution movie
- Includes pre-evolutions spawning in the wild
- Clone Pikachu found in GO Snapshots
- Clone Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise found in Four-Star Raids
- Armored Mewtwo returns as Five-Star Raid Boss, can use Psystrike
Pokémon Masters
- Battle Villa facility goes live this Friday, February 28th @ 06:00 UTC
- New Chapters added including new Sync Pair: Valerie & Sylveon
- New story event featuring Sygna Suit Elsa & Rotom is coming
- Full evolutions for many existing Sync Pairs
- Five-Star Select Special Scout running until March 16th
Pokémon movie news
- Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution appears on Netflix today
- New trailer for next movie in the franchise – Pokémon the Movie Coco – will be airing on the Japanese Variety Show Oha Suta this Friday
Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?
Which alien race in Half Life became Gordon Freeman’s ally in Half Life 2?
- The Houndeyes
- The Vortigaunts
- The Headcrabs
- The Barnacles
The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today’s issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.
Daily Fact
Suda 51 didn’t know Michigan: Report from Hell was released outside Japan
Grasshopper Manufacture boss Goichi Suda was surprised to find out that his PlayStation 2 survival horror game Michigan: Report from Hell had been released outside Japan. Despite the name and setting, it was never officially launched in the United States.
Suda found out that the game had also been launched in Europe by 505 Games during an interview in March 2008. The wacky horror game has three different endings that depend on how immoral you are, including an erotic ending if you’ve been a particularly lewd cameraman.
Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today’s fact.
Video Game Business Models
Xbox’s Phil Spencer says there’s “not one business model to rule them all”
Microsoft are pretty open-minded when it comes to trying out business models for Xbox, according to Phil Spencer. Under his leadership, the division is aiming to try to reach as many gamers as possible, in any way possible.
“Our point of view at Xbox is that there’s not one business model to rule them all,” Spencer said in the Game Maker’s Notebook podcast where he appeared alongside Insomniac Games’ Ted Price. “We actually think it’s healthy – not just from an industry standpoint, but from a creative standpoint – if multiple business models will work.”
Netflix for games: The Xbox Game Pass service is their most prominent new business model, giving subscribers access to an entire library of games for a fixed monthly fee. The service is also available on PC, and is currently in beta. “Game Pass works today,” said Spencer. “And I think it will keep working as it continues to grow.”
New Model Army: Different types of games benefit from different business models, according to Spencer. “I think for us as an industry we should embrace monetization dexterity because it leads us to the most creativity,” he added, pointing to Alan Wake from Remedy Entertainment as an example of a company trying different ways to monetize a traditional game.
