This Week In Pokemon: Shiny Charizard Prison Sentence, Anime Anniversary, And More

thegamer.com:

While we haven't had any big updates to the Pokemon games this week, there's still been plenty of news to get through. From Niantic taking a stand against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to an American man spending his Covid relief loan on a Pokemon card, there have been some big stories in the past seven days.

We open on the most serious story of the round-up - Pokemon Go being shut down in Russia and Belarus,

Related: Red & Blue's First Rival Battle Is Still Pokemon's Best

Niantic has joined numerous other companies boycotting Russia and Belarus in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. As of this week, players in both of these regions haven’t been able to download or even play Pokemon Go, as Niantic condemns the actions of Vladimir Putin’s government. This ban also extends to the rest of Niantic’s games. On top of this, the company has also donated $275,000 to humanitarian causes, in the hopes of supporting its fans in Ukraine.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus quickly became the best selling game of the year when it launched in January. Admittedly, it was only after one month, but the US charts do include games from the previous year, so it was still no easy feat. However, it was just no match for Elden Ring. The release of FromSoft’s highly anticipated open-world title has knocked Legends: Arceus off the top spot - but it’s still clinging onto second place. Horizon Forbidden West hasn’t been able to beat it, as it's currently stuck in third. This isn’t too surprising, as its sale also suffered after the release of Elden Ring.

Yep, I hate to break it to you, but the Pokemon anime really is turning 25. The first episode aired in Japan April 1, 1997. To mark the occasion, an hour-long special of Pokemon Journeys will premiere on