‘Pokémon Sun’ and ‘Moon’ to get post-launch ‘Pokémon Bank’ support

By Danny Cowan September 21, 2016

pokemon sun and moon get post launch bank support pkmnbank

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Gaming

What was ‘Pokémon Stars?’: Everything we know about the rumored Switch game

'Pokémon Stars' development reportedly pivots to a new game

pokemon stars release date trailer gameplay news sun moon 010

With the Nintendo Switch burning up the sales charts in its first nine months, lots of early adopters have one question on their minds: When will we get a proper, new Pokémon game?

We know that a new role-playing Pokémon game is in development for Nintendo Switch, but The Pokémon Company has been tight-lipped on just what that game is going to look like. Here is what we know about Pokémon for Nintendo Switch, including official announcements as well as reports and rumors.
Is it an HD remake of Pokémon Sun and Moon ... or something more?
In December 2017, Eurogamer reported that Nintendo ultimately decided to develop an all-new Pokémon game for the Nintendo Switch, instead of its initial plan to release an enhanced port.

Gaming

‘Pokémon Ultra Sun’ and ‘Ultra Moon’ review

'Pokémon Ultra Sun' and 'Ultra Moon' shine bright in trainers' return to Alola

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon quick review

For the past two decades, Pokémon has managed a shocking and precarious balancing act. Rare among decade-bound cultural phenomena, it has somehow made the transition from presumed fad to reliable touchstone. The success of that trick wasn’t obvious until quite recently as the enduring star power of Pikachu and pals drew new generations into the fold with Pokémon Go and record-breaking sales of the most recent games, Sun and Moon. For the unfamiliar, Pokémon -- both the games and the creatures -- come in waves. Every few years there’s a new batch of magical creatures with increasingly elaborate traits and skills. They come packaged in a new game, designed to show them all off. This started well back in the late 90s with Pokémon Red, Blue followed closely by their tag-a-long-friend, Yellow.

In much the same way, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are the companions, or the director's cut, of last year's celestial-themed adventures. Aimed at Pokémon obsessives (like ourselves) and those that missed the games when they launched last year, this pair refines what was already a refreshing take on the Pokémon formula. The result is one of the most tightly paced, and rounded outings in the series, setting a new high watermark for the modern crop of children's collect-a-thons.
Evil-Adjacent
Like most media for kids, Pokémon leans hard on convention and, more often than not, follows reductive morality. You, the innocent, starry-eyed adventurer, are a universal good. You exist in the game’s world to solve problems, to help others and to just be a swell person. Past games would drone on and on about caring for your Pokémon, about practicing, and developing the emotional connection between animal and human. But there were few, if any avenues to play that out.

Gaming

Data miners unearth rare beasts from ‘Pokémon Ultra Sun’ and ‘Ultra Moon’

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

As the launch of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon nears, some eager fans have already managed to secure copies of the game. Naturally, since its Pokémon, users have begun data mining the files to glean unreleased info -- including the names of some new pocket monsters, Polygon reports. If you would rather discover the new Pokémon for yourself when the games launch on November 17, beware, substantial spoilers will be revealed in this post.

The big reveals are the names of new Ultra Beasts, which played a big role in the original Sun and Moon games and appear to have an even larger role in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Previously known as UB Adhesive, the tiny poison-type Pokémon is confirmed to be named Poipole. Poipole will be made available via the Mystery Gift function and apparently, only appears after you catch the game's legendary Pokémon. Interestingly, especially since Ultra Beasts aren't technically Pokémon, Poipole can evolve into a creature called Nagandel, a first for an Ultra Beast.