Gotta catch … 100 million? ‘Pokémon Sun’ and ‘Moon’ developer challenges players

By Danny Cowan Published November 29, 2016

game freak issues global pokemon sun and moon challenge pokemonchallenge — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Pokémon series developer Game Freak has issued a worldwide challenge for Pokémon Sun and Moon players that will put their creature-taming skills to the ultimate test over the next two weeks, and participants will receive in-game rewards as an incentive.

So, what is the challenge? Players must catch 100 million Pokémon between Tuesday and December 13. No sweat, right?

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Released worldwide for the Nintendo 3DS earlier in November, Pokémon Sun and Moon shift Nintendo’s long-running creature-collecting series in a new direction. Taking place in the new Alola region, Pokémon Sun and Moon confront players with dozens of new Pokémon to fight and collect, and many creatures from previous generations return with tropical-themed redesigns.

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A treasure trove of Pokémon Sun and Moon Festival Coins are up for grabs as part of Game Freak’s recently launched challenge, but players will need to use teamwork in order to reach their global goal. Game Freak will award participating players with 1,000 Festival Coins if 100 million Pokémon are caught and logged via the Game Sync feature by December 13.

While all challengers will see in-game rewards regardless of whether or not Game Freak’s goal is reached, payouts will be much less impressive if players don’t catch 100 million Pokémon by the deadline.

“If everyone combines their efforts to catch 100 million Pokémon between November 29 and December 13, 2016, each participant will receive 1,000 Festival Coins as a reward,” Game Freak announced. “If the goal isn’t met, trainers who contributed will still receive a participation prize of 100 Festival Coins. To be sure that your Pokémon bounty gets included in the final count, be sure to use Game Sync by December 13.”

To participate in the challenge, Pokémon Sun and Moon players must visit a castle within the Festival Plaza area. A nearby PC offers a “Game Sync” option, which players can then activate by registering their 3DS unit. Once a player’s profile is logged via Game Sync, all of their collected Pokémon will contribute toward Game Freak’s global tally.

Game Freak’s first global challenge for Pokémon Sun and Moon ends on December 13. Additional challenges will be issued throughout 2017.

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