Pokemon Events Future: Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:02] Deferred. Hi, Casey. >> Hi. >> And we've got a special guest. It's Nick Salazar, who is the associate public Nick. >> Thanks, both of you. Really happy to be

[00:17] >> high school, college, whatever you want to call it. So, it's really cool to, you >> That's so cool. >> Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, I didn't know that. We're really happy to have you here. And it you're here cuz it's a big

[00:30] anniversary. Of course, Pokemon Winds and Waves are coming sometime next year, something happening this week. That's the Pokemon World Championships and Pokemon XP happening down in San Francisco. So, could you please share

[00:45] know about them? >> Yeah, so I mean I I guess the the very topline view of it is uh we've got two events uh heading to San Francisco next weekend. you know, same location, same big weekend. Uh, so the first one of

[01:00] those is going to be uh the Pokemon World Championships, uh, you know, everybody knows and loves. Um, Casey's been with us a few times now. U, you know, that one's the the cream of the crop players from across uh, Pokemon

[01:14] Champions for the first time, uh, Pokemon Trading Card Game, Pokemon Go, Pokemonite. Uh, so that one's everybody's competing for a grand, uh, our uh Pokemon XP fan convention. First of its kind, first year we're doing it

[01:29] to celebrate 30 years of Pokemon. Um and the weekend itself is really just a you're really into the competition, uh you can go uh Friday and Saturday to see that on the main stage. Of course, on Sunday, we're going to have the epic uh

[01:44] we've got uh something for, you know, some of the non-competitive fans. If you're super into learning more about Pokemon Ptopia, for example, uh we've

[01:56] got a panel for that one. Mr. Ishihara will be giving um his own kind of rundown of how he's celebrating 30 years. Um you know, we've got workshops for everybody uh to kind of uh my favorite one that uh folks are be able

[02:10] to get their hands on are uh something for the misadventures of Surfetch and Picu. uh with that one, they'll be able to kind of put together a clay model similar to what's going to be in that show when it uh debuts uh in the future.

[02:22] So, we've really just got something for everyone this weekend. Uh I'm really you more about it. >> Well, I I have so many questions and I

[02:34] want to learn more and I'm really excited for that adventure um surve workshop. I love crafts and we did something similar at for the Pokemon But I do have a question for you. So, Pokemon XP is the first ever official

[02:50] Pokemon fan convention. And I want to know like why is now the right time to kind of like evolve Pokemon's inerson events and how long has this planning something else? >> Sure. I you know I think I'll start with

[03:07] uh to your point as our fan base has evolved so have our events you've been know since we're celebrating uh 30 years of Pokemon it's a massive milestone for not only us but you know our fans around the world it made sense to just

[03:22] >> uh you know pun intended level up uh for for this particular elite year and make sure as many fans as possible could enjoy this uh you know year with us whether that's everyone coming to San Francisco or whether they're kind of um

[03:35] those, you know, Twitch drops, the viewership incentives, stuff like that. Um to your question as to how long we've been planning it, uh you know, these this has been in [clears throat] the works for a while. Um it takes a village

[03:53] of people there, you know, a ton of unsung heroes around um the world and these giant productions on. So, uh, at the end of the day, it's for our fans and we need to meet our fans, uh, where they are and, uh, you know, fan the fan

[04:09] possibly can for these events to, uh, cater to as many of them as we can. that goes into it that we don't see, and it must take up way more time than what

[04:25] the actual event itself is going to be. Um, have there already been any done for next year, assuming there's going to be a next year?

[04:37] apply it to this year. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Uh, you know, we tend to take uh, you know, the feedback from the fans on the international championships. We've got one in Europe, uh, Latin America and

[04:52] also one in North America. Uh, and we try to see how we can distill all that competing at these events. Um, and see how we can capitalize on those. So, a

[05:04] big one I can think of is um, we recently added, you know, like carnival games, for example, for kids to uh, you know, like there's usually like u, you know, the classic carnival game of you put your fishing pole in the thing and

[05:17] like we have we had a Magikarp version of that, right? Um, so it's things like that have uh come out of like this fan feedback in the last couple of years of

[05:29] want to meet their friends uh at these events and compete in these little side favorite plush stuff like that. >> Um so you know it's stuff like that and

[05:43] we'll inevitably have some learnings this year as to um how we can be even better next. Um, but for us right now, our our focus is kind of on how do we make this year uh the best we possibly can and uh we've already got folks on

[05:56] the ground in San Francisco um starting to uh you know to lay the groundwork for what's going to happen next week uh in person. And uh when I get there uh I'm really excited to see it. >> Yeah. And with there's a little time

[06:09] this weekend by the time you're you're listening to this out there, listeners. which is great. [laughter] Yeah. Um, and so you mentioned like a

[06:21] it's the first year of this specific event, but obviously not the first live really cool. That game was an enormous hit this year. Is that the highlight

[06:33] specific event or activation you're looking forward to most? You know, for me, I think the thing I'm looking forward to most uh from the Pokemon know, I'm a big sports fan in general. I know a lot of our uh you know, a lot of

[06:50] celebrated. Uh to kind of see all of the trainers that will be on stage that weekend, you know, competing for the you know, that top prize, that top crown Uh on the Pokemon XP side, you mentioned like the panels and stuff. Uh yeah, you

[07:09] know, uh the Pokemon Popia panel is something I'm really looking forward to. To your point, I'm a big fan of it. I'm a big just fan of uh uh you know, kind of life sims like that in general. So to be able to hear, uh Game Freak and Koi

[07:24] Techmo in person uh will be really uh really awesome. And by the time you guys are are hearing this, um, we'll actually have announced that there will be a special, uh, Pokemon, uh, theme, sorry, the events of the weekend themed, uh,

[07:39] Cloud Island in Pokemon Ptopia. Uh, that will be, um, >> the code of which will be, uh, announced at the end of opening ceremonies, for that. Uh, it's going to be really cool. I'm looking forward to visiting

[07:52] myself. Uh, so just a little tidbit of, uh, information there for you since >> That's great. Yeah, >> I'm already thinking like I wonder what kind of guides I need to make for that. But [laughter]

[08:06] >> so I'm I'm really excited for that. Now, I also I actually only just started playing Popia like during Fourth of July weekend and I was hooked immediately and put in like 50 hours in like a week. So, thumbs up on that.

[08:20] >> Yeah. It just completely sucked me. I didn't want to do anything else except Basin uh DLC yet. So, you have plenty of of Pokopia to consume.

[08:32] >> So much. And uh another There's going to be a whole other town early next year, But I did want to ask, so tickets have been sold out for a while now. How many

[08:46] attendance are you expecting at the event this first year? >> Sure. Yeah. So, we're expecting uh actually across the entire weekend uh

[08:58] over we're probably going to eclipse over 50,000 people between both events. >> Um which for us is, you know, huge. It's uh going to be on pace to probably be our biggest play Pokemon uh event ever. Um so, yeah, we're looking forward to

[09:12] uh World Championships and also Pokemon XP. Um we had a lot of trainer interests this uh this year uh you know and that amounted to you know uh us filling the

[09:25] of our all of our events right uh whether it's one of our regionals uh which get on the lower end of I say just in quotes like 5,000 people at the low

[09:37] uh and you know and this year with worlds it'll you know eclipse even that. So, um, we continue to go to bigger and bigger venues where they exist to be

[09:50] able to invite more and more people into into the space. So, um, it's really a us. And, uh, we're I don't know, we're really just looking forward to seeing,

[10:02] uh, how the weekend plays out. You know, there's different types of Pokemon fan, awesome. I I know every year I'll always see kids running around doing the pin great. If you're not familiar with our pin rally, it's basically you give a pin

[10:19] put out and that's kind of your momentum for the week, right? >> Um yeah, and it's just kind of like a small microcosm of how um people choose

[10:31] the traditional uh trading cards, video games, and stuff like that. and it kind of shows just the um the power and kind of community of of Pokemon as it's uh

[10:43] evolved over the past 30 years. >> Yeah, that's actually something um from last year inspired me to go and find all of the pins I have >> in all of the random places. I have so many Pokémon pins and because there are

[10:56] like trading stations there as well. >> So, and >> I still have my lanyard uh from last year with every single one that me just >> there's there's a lot. And this year, I know there's a Charizard and an Umbreon,

[11:09] there. >> Two [snorts] great picks. Um, if you >> Okay. Yeah. So, what how will this event success

[11:22] determine the future of Pokemon XP? And like, what would that success even look like? And is XP something you always hope to run at the same time in Worlds, or could this potentially like branch off into its own thing?

[11:34] >> Great question. So, I I'll start with the second one first. Uh, I'd say this have some learnings and we're going to kind of see what that looks like going definitely something we're thinking about and what kind of makes the most

[11:50] sense for us. Um, and you know, what does success look like? Uh, you know, your point. Um, we're going to have thousands of fans not only in the us, um, the goal is to put a smile on the faces of trainers. So, if at the end

[12:09] will, there's always that one, um, smiling kid that comes up to you and experience it through their eyes. Um, that's what success looks like for us.

[12:23] So if we have a, you know, a common space for the, you know, the fans to that 30 years of Pokemon, that's what success looks like for us. Live in 2023 in Seattle and just I felt the same way. Just seeing like kind of

[12:42] around was something that stuck with me. So I like to hear that that's kind of the Pokemon World Championships this year because you launched Pokemon

[12:55] Champions earlier this year and this is the first World's event using it as the platform for competitive Pokemon play. And I'm wondering from your perspective, what has Champions impact been so far on the competitive scene? And is there

[13:07] of the future of Champions role moving forward? >> Yeah, so I mean, Pokemon Champions has been um so successful for us in a couple of ways. I think the first one I would point to is just um how widespread its

[13:21] availability is, right? The fact that we can also have it on a a mobile device for Pokemon Champions this time really enables people to just be able to take it out of their pocket, right, and kind of play uh right then and there. Um so

[13:34] for us, we've seen like phenomenal success with that in just how we are able to uh reach that many more trainers. Uh, and I think your second question, forgive me if you need to repeat it, was kind of um what are we

[13:47] >> Exactly. >> Yeah. I mean, with Pokemon champions, it uh you know, we have kind of rotations that change um you know, what Pokemon

[13:59] are strong in any particular season or uh kind of what you know, rule sets, etc. will uh make that season that much different. Um, but Champions for us is a we're going to continue to listen to our um, not just our competitors feedback,

[14:17] uh, to see how we can make it even, you know, more approachable. um how we can make sure we're bringing even more people kind of into that uh ecosystem that is Pokemon Champions so we can get um you know those uh those kids feeling

[14:34] day they'll walk into their local hobby shop and play the local league and maybe we'll see them you know uh someday on the on that main stage. So it's been a

[14:46] really great start. um first uh we're not quite a year uh into it yet, but how it evolves uh with our players going forward. >> So, Nick, you did just mention that Pokemon Champions is available on both

[15:00] Nintendo Switch and mobile. Um but I know at tournaments they are you're only ever support mobile as a platform alongside a Nintendo console?

[15:14] integrating, uh, Pokemon champions into, uh, the Play Pokemon program. Uh, with that comes some, you know, learnings along the way. Uh, I would say stay tuned for future news as to what that looks like. Um, when we have, uh, I

[15:30] think a little more time under our belt to kind of uh, make sure that that is a viable uh, platform for uh, not platform, but set up for everybody going forward. Uh, we'll definitely be able to share those u those details. Okay. And

[15:45] um quick detour. So, we just revealed we're we're time traveling, right? So, we just revealed on IGN a bunch of exclusive merch that'll be available at the pop-up Pokemon Center at the event. Uh Nick, what do you think is the

[15:59] coolest item this year? And how has the world's Pokemon Center experience evolved for this year's Pokemon XP? >> What is my favorite thing? That is such a loaded question. Uh, [laughter] >> I have a guess, but

[16:14] >> do you have a guess >> that of your personal opinion? Maybe not what you think will be most popular. >> My personal opinion is I'm a big Charizard plush uh that we got this year.

[16:29] >> Uh, was that your guess? I hope >> the jetack Charizard plush. [laughter] >> I'm glad this is my brand now. Um, I'm a very unique Logan fan. Um, yeah. Yeah, getting my hands on. Um sorry, I became enamored with what's your favorite thing

[16:46] >> I guess um how how's the World Pokemon Center experience evolved for this It went off like >> Yeah. No, like I I'm [laughter] with

[16:58] you. I've got my I got my Charizard stuff all all up here. So, you know, I [snorts] uh Okay, I got to lock in and answer this question. How's it evolved? Um, yeah. So, I think it's the same uh kind of mindset we've got towards our

[17:12] events in general is how how can we continue to make the best experience for increasing the amount of space we've got, which you know, just like our events, it continues to get bigger every year. Um, adding reservation slots, um,

[17:26] you know, is a big one for us. And the um I I think it's a testament this year to us having those the two lines um kind of of of uh merchandise at Pokemon Center this year. One, you know, one of

[17:39] the main lines is focused on excuse me, the um Pokemon World Championships. So, we've [clears throat] got um the the Monarch Pikachu and then we've got uh that uh uh one for Pokemon XP. So the the lines are kind of, you know,

[17:58] themed accordingly. So I like the amount of uh breath of uh variety that we've got this year um in particular. U I know there's going to be a lot uh for

[18:10] everybody, you know, to choose from. And much like with our um you know, online Pokemon Center uh store, the goal is always variety and really trying to make what Pokemon you were asking me about uh when we were at dinner uh in New

[18:28] particular Pokemon. And then immediately we were able to go to Pokemon Center. plush of your particular Pokemon that you were looking for. And that's kind of the goal is to make sure everybody can um take away at least one thing from

[18:43] >> That's cool. Is there is there a Claudezy plush? That's that's my >> there's got to be there's [laughter] got to be >> one. There's got to be. Yeah. And two, I'm curious why is it now that that's Is

[18:58] >> Oh, the first time I laid eyes on Claude Zire in in Scarlet Violet, it was it was over. That was [laughter] the end. Yeah. It's just it's just recent. It's a >> Nick. I I got to ask. We mentioned earlier it's Pokemon's 30th anniversary

[19:15] and we know you can't speak on behalf of Game Freak or or talk that much about future projects, but is there any tease of Pokemon's future in store at any of the events this weekend? >> So, I'll say that uh it'll be a great

[19:29] time to tune in uh to the Pokemon World Championships and Pokemon XP this weekend. Um, I would love to be able to share more with you, but uh that is not a uh you know that is not my my reveal to make. So I would I would say just

[19:45] there. I know Casey I'll be seeing you in person just a few short days. >> Yeah, looking forward to it >> soon. Yeah. Well, I'm gonna ask you >> Oh Casey can answer for >> it's it's Charizard.

[20:00] >> Yeah. Okay. pals when we discover this like ah [laughter] >> okay what about next next up after Charizard >> fair uh so I got a few um the one that comes to

[20:14] mind immediately is Dragonite I'm a big fan of Mega Dragonite in particular from after that we get into kind of dicey territory of I don't want to rank them

[20:26] >> um just because I I love koalas in general piplup penguins are my favorites cube as another penguin. >> All right, [laughter]

[20:39] >> that that is a favorite of mine. So >> So penguins and dragons and dragons. >> Yeah, we need a penguin dragon. Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Nick, happening this weekend. That's August 28th through 30th in San Francisco.

[20:55] much for joining me for this segment. For now, we'll send it back to the rest of the show. Thanks for watching this clip from youtube.com/ignames. New episodes of NVC drop every Friday on

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