It’s running through August 09, 2025
Pokemon ScarletandVioletaren’t scheduled to arrive until November 18, but a special Pikachu distribution event is already a go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZf-vIpVDLo
Sneakily announcedat the end of a trailerthat debuted duringthe August 2022 Pokemon Presents stream, the event kicks off roughly around when the game starts. It’s for a “special Pikachu,” and will be in line withthe new “Terastallizing” form mechanicthat’s been introduced in this generation.
It knows the move “Fly,” and is also a flying Tera type. The event will run from the game’s launch (when you may access it),through July 31, 2025. It’s similar to other early access events from mainline games: the idea is to incentivize players into picking up the game early. That’s pretty much all we have in terms of details at the moment.
As for the technical fine print, The Pokemon Company notes that you’re able to acquire this through normal mystery gift means — which also confirms the feature forScarletandViolet(as if there was any chance it wasn’t coming back). You do not need a paid Switch Online membership to access the special Pikachu distribution event, and it takes “one to one and a half hours” to work up to the point where the mystery gift feature is enabled.
