Splatoon Launching Global Pokémon Splatfest

Prepare for trouble and make it double. Splatoon’s next Splatfest will be Global, and will make you choose: Pokemon Red or Pokemon Blue?

The Splatfest will be held simultaneously around the world, from February 19 at 10:00 PM PT until February 20 at 10:00 PM PT. To be clear, the Global Splatfest means that all players around the world will compete in the same theme. They will still play against other players within the same region. So, Japanese players will only play with other Japanese players, US players only play with other US players, and so forth.

The Splatfest asks about the original Pokemon games, which were published on Game Boy in the US in 1998 and Europe in 1999. However, they originally released in Japan in 1996 under the names Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green, respectively. Another generation of gamers got to experience these games in 2004, when Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance remakes of these games, named Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. Even Pokemon fans who missed out on these games when they came out, or don’t even play the games, are more than familiar with the lore of these first few games, because they were the basis of the first season of the Pokemon anime.

Japan is getting a special addition to this power collaboration, as official Pokemon stores will be selling the actual Pokemon Splatfest shirts. These shirts boast the names of Pokemon Red and Green (in Inkling script, of course), and have original sillhouette designs of Charizard and Venusaur at the back.

今回のフェスに合わせた2月20日より、全国のポケモンセンターではご覧のフェスTが発売される。カラーは赤、緑の2色、サイズはS、M、Lに加えお子様にピッタリな130サイズも用意されている。https://t.co/zpnSJ7D9eq pic.twitter.com/bCPxs0PolS

— Splatoon（スプラトゥーン） (@SplatoonJP) February 12, 2016

Splatoon released its last weapons this January, even as Splatfests continue. This Splatfest is one of many ways The Pokemon Company is celebrating Pokemon’s 20 year anniversary. They also recently came out with a special Superbowl ad.