Pokemon Rumble U figures are region free

Serebii has confirmed that Pokemon Rumble U's NFC figures, as well as other physical accessories like smart cards, will be region free. Wherever you are in the world, you will be able to import these figures to play on your copy of the game.

Pokemon Rumble U's NFC figures are already out in Japan, and were confirmed to get a limited release via Gamestop for the US at the same time as its game's official release in August 29. Europe is getting the game on August 15, but received no confirmation on any NFC distribution. It will be expensive, but for those who really want it, importing the figures is now an option.

Interestingly enough, aside from the 18 figures US is getting that matches what's already out in Japan, there will also be new secret figurines. We don't know if these will be new Pokemon or revisions of existing Pokemon like Pikachu. Regarding the Japanese smartcards, which include transit passes and NFC cards, they will actually give you Pokemon.

Again, to make things clear, all the Pokemon up until Pokemon Black and White 2 are confirmed to be in the game, so unlike, say, Skylanders, or Disney Infinity, collecting the NFC figures is not a required element to the game. However, using the NFC figures will allow you to augment Pokemon you already have with more abilities, giving you a tactical advantage.

It's safe to assume the smartcards will unlock Pokemon already in the game, and not new Pokemon not available otherwise, at least for the foreseeable future. Crazy as this sounds, the game also has a password system that will allow you to unlock even more Pokemon, and Nintendo promises that some of those passwords will be freely distributed in outlets like TV, Facebook and Twitter.

We have yet to hear official word that Nintendo is ending region locking for their consoles and games, but at least this is a step in the right direction.

Source: Serebii