As the release date of the New Pokémon Snap draws ever nearer, The Pokémon Company has decided to celebrate the upcoming photography game by releasing an array of merchandise for Japanese fans to enjoy. The imminent addition to the Pokémon games franchise is a sequel to HAL Laboratory, Inc.'s 1999 title, Pokémon Snap, for the Nintendo 64.
The long-awaited sequel, New Pokémon Snap, is being developed by Bandai Namco Studios and was first announced by Nintendo in 2020, to the surprise of fans worldwide. It is set to be released on April 30 on the Nintendo Switch and will follow the basic gameplay of its predecessor. Players will take the place of a Pokémon photographer, tasked with taking pictures of Pokémon for Professor Mirror, while guided by an on-rails hovercraft. The game will take place in the Lental region in the Pokémon universe, which is home to lush seas, dense jungles, and great deserts.
The Pokémon Company has recently announced via a Tweet that an array of photography-themed merchandise exclusive to Japan, which will be available during the game’s launch. The merchandise includes some incredibly cute items, such as decorative masking tape designed to look like a film reel, a photo album folder, magnet frames, and a jigsaw puzzle featuring a photo collage of Pokémon found in-game.
According to The Pokémon Company’s Tweet, the merchandise will be available at any Pokémon Center from April 30 for Japanese fans to purchase. The designs on the merchandise feature snaps of popular Pokémon such as Pichu, Torchic, and the starter trio from Pokémon Sword and Shield: Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble. Not to be forgotten, first-generation Pokémon, Pikachu, Squirtle, and Lapras can also be found on the designs.
While it must no doubt be disappointing to Pokémon fans that this upcoming merchandise collection is exclusive to Japan, this isn’t all that surprising, given the number of exclusive items available only at the brick-and-mortar Pokémon Center stores in Japan. Of course, with the availability of shopping services, fans outside of Japan don’t have to completely rule out the possibility of getting their hands on this upcoming set of New Pokémon Snap items. Hopefully, The Pokémon Company will feel generous enough to provide their western audience with some New Pokémon Snap products in the near future, because fans have surely waited patiently enough during the last 22 years.
New Pokémon Snap will be available on April 30, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: The Pokémon Company/Twitter