Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Gotta catch … 100 million? ‘Pokémon Sun’ and ‘Moon’ developer challenges players

Danny Cowan
By

game freak issues global pokemon sun and moon challenge pokemonchallenge
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Pokémon series developer Game Freak has issued a worldwide challenge for Pokémon Sun and Moon players that will put their creature-taming skills to the ultimate test over the next two weeks, and participants will receive in-game rewards as an incentive.

So, what is the challenge? Players must catch 100 million Pokémon between Tuesday and December 13. No sweat, right?

Recommended Videos

Released worldwide for the Nintendo 3DS earlier in November, Pokémon Sun and Moon shift Nintendo’s long-running creature-collecting series in a new direction. Taking place in the new Alola region, Pokémon Sun and Moon confront players with dozens of new Pokémon to fight and collect, and many creatures from previous generations return with tropical-themed redesigns.

Related

A treasure trove of Pokémon Sun and Moon Festival Coins are up for grabs as part of Game Freak’s recently launched challenge, but players will need to use teamwork in order to reach their global goal. Game Freak will award participating players with 1,000 Festival Coins if 100 million Pokémon are caught and logged via the Game Sync feature by December 13.

While all challengers will see in-game rewards regardless of whether or not Game Freak’s goal is reached, payouts will be much less impressive if players don’t catch 100 million Pokémon by the deadline.

“If everyone combines their efforts to catch 100 million Pokémon between November 29 and December 13, 2016, each participant will receive 1,000 Festival Coins as a reward,” Game Freak announced. “If the goal isn’t met, trainers who contributed will still receive a participation prize of 100 Festival Coins. To be sure that your Pokémon bounty gets included in the final count, be sure to use Game Sync by December 13.”

To participate in the challenge, Pokémon Sun and Moon players must visit a castle within the Festival Plaza area. A nearby PC offers a “Game Sync” option, which players can then activate by registering their 3DS unit. Once a player’s profile is logged via Game Sync, all of their collected Pokémon will contribute toward Game Freak’s global tally.

Game Freak’s first global challenge for Pokémon Sun and Moon ends on December 13. Additional challenges will be issued throughout 2017.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
The best Pokémon games, ranked from best to worst
Sprigatito smelling flowers.

For more than 25 years, developer Game Freak has found a way to reinvent the Pokémon franchise for each new generation of gamers. Both brand-new Pokémon trainers and seasoned Pokémon masters are captivated by these cute (and sometimes scary) little monsters. Maybe it's the drive to catch 'em all that keeps players coming back. Or perhaps it's how adorable these little pocket monsters can be. Whatever the reason, players continue to return to or start exploring the Pokémon franchise.

Between new main series titles that bring new regions and Pokémon into the mix -- like Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, remakes, and spinoffs -- there's a massive library of Pokémon games to choose from. Everyone has their favorites, but some are arguably better than others (just like Nintendo's long-running Metroid and Legend of Zelda series). We divided every Pokémon game into a couple of categories and ranked them accordingly.

Read more
Pokémon Presents February 2023: how to watch and what to expect
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet protagonist holding glowing Poke Ball

Pokémon Day 2023 is nearly upon us, and it will bring another Pokémon Presents showcase full of exciting announcements regarding the long-running series. As Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were quite successful despite technical problems, a lot of fans are curious to learn what's next, both for those individual titles and the franchise as a whole.
Pokémon fans who want to learn about the series' future should certainly tune into this presentation. If you're wondering how to watch it and what kinds of announcements to expect for the first Pokémon Presents of 2023, we've rounded up all of that information here for you.
When is the February 2023 Pokémon Presents?
This Pokémon Presents showcase will start at 6 a.m. PT on February 27, which is Pokémon Day, as well as the 27th anniversary of the series. The Pokémon Company says the presentation will last "around 20 minutes." 
How to watch
The February 27 Pokémon Presents will be officially live-streamed on the main Pokémon YouTube Channel. We'll embed the live stream below ahead of the presentation. Other sites and Pokémon-themed content creators will likely be co-streaming the event as well. 
https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1628032454295531522
What to expect
Unfortunately, The Pokémon Company was light on giving any real hints as to what we'll see during this Nintendo Direct-like presentation. But if this showcase falls in line with previous Pokémon Presents live streams, then we can expect it to give us an overview of all the big Pokémon titles coming out this year. Currently, we don't know if any brand-new Pokémon games are launching in 2023; if there aren't, then hopefully we'll see some DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. 
Some leaks may have also spoiled some of the Pokémon Presents' surprises. Leakers have found data for more new Pokémon forms that could potentially come to Scarlet and Violet via updates. Meanwhile, fans found mention of Spike Chunsoft in the new Pokémon Together website's source code, so it seems likely that a new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon from that developer is coming soon. Regardless of what's actually announced, February 27 is shaping up to be a really exciting day for Pokémon fans. 

Read more
Pokémon Violet and Scarlet are the series’ best bird-watching games
A Pokemon trainer takes a selfie with an Ostrich Pokemon on Pokemon Scarlet.

Pokémon Violet and Scarlet are currently the talk of the gaming world, though that conversation is mostly about the bizarre slew of technical issues. While those are understandably the focus, they shouldn't totally paper over one of the best aspects of the games: They've got a lot of good birds.

Yes, Pokémon's ninth generation feels as though it's been specifically built with bird-watchers in mind. While previous games in the series tend to have one all-star flying evolution line and a smattering of winged friends hanging out in the world, Paldea might be Pokémon's most avian friendly region yet.

Read more