The Pokémon Company revealed this week that the upcoming Nintendo 3DS RPG duo Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be upgraded with Pokémon Bank support following their retail debuts later this year.
The forthcoming Pokémon Bank update will also allow veteran players to transfer their caught Pokémon characters from 3DS Virtual Console versions of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, bringing first-generation creatures up to speed with their modern Pokémon counterparts.
Pokémon Sun and Moon, launching exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS later this year, will upgrade Nintendo’s stable of collectible creatures with dozens of new Pokémon characters. Returning Pokémon creatures can also take on new forms as they adapt to the tropical Alola region, giving them new fighting moves and abilities that they can use in battle with rival Pokémon masters.
The past two decades of Pokémon franchise releases have left players with expansive creature collections, leading Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to launch Pokémon Bank for the Nintendo 3DS in 2014. Pokémon Bank allows players to import their collected Pokémon from previous games in the series and unlock them for play in recent sequels like Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, and Pokémon Y.
While Pokémon Bank will not be able to transfer collected creatures to Pokémon Sun and Moon at launch, The Pokémon Company notes that a free update enabling support for the newest series releases is in the works.
“Once Pokémon Bank has been updated, you’ll be able to use it to transfer Pokémon you’ve caught in the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console versions of Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, and Pokémon Yellow into your copy of Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon,” The Pokémon Company stated this week. “Pokémon from Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, and Pokémon Y can also be brought into Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon in the same way.”
Pokémon Bank is available for download via Nintendo’s eShop, and requires a yearly $5 subscription fee. Pokémon Sun and Moon will launch for the Nintendo 3DS digitally and at retail on November 18.
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