Sorry, Okinawa, but it looks like your special brand of Pikachu in Pokemon Go will have to wait.
Niantic announced last June that they were partnering with Skymark on a new event called Pokemon Air Adventures. The event would see the introduction of Shiny Corsola, a bunch of Pokemon-themed jets, busses, trains, and other travel paraphernalia, as well as a special Pikachu wearing an Okinawan shirt (which, if you've never seen one, is basically like a Hawaiian shirt with different patterns).
The whole thing was designed to encourage tourism in Japan following long stretches of COVID-19 lockdowns. And now to remind us that the pandemic is far from over, PokemonAir Adventures and its Okinawan Pikachu have been delayed as part of another COVID-related state of emergency.
Japan announced its fourth state of emergency on Monday, asking residents to avoid non-essential travel and for restaurants and bars to stop serving alcohol and close early. There are also not going to be any spectators at the Olympics thanks to the non-essential travel ban, which is really going to kill Okinawa’s tourist industry.
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And as a result of all this, Niantic felt that it wouldn’t be a good look to encourage people to travel around Okinawa for a special Pikachu wearing a flowery shirt.
"Due to recent developments, we will be postponing the Pokémon Air Adventures collaboration that was scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 22, 2021,” Niantic wrote on the original announcement. “We apologize for any inconvenience this causes. We will share more information once details are finalized."
The state of emergency is set to last until August 22, so hopefully after that people will be able to graph a Shiny Corsola and Okinawan Pikachu.
In the meantime, Gen 7 starters were teased as part of a new piece of anniversary artwork along with Mega Mewtwo X. Pokemon Go Fest 2021 is also set to arrive this weekend with the introduction of Meleotta, so sign up today!
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