"Back in July this year, Nintendo held a spectactularly bad Pokémon Presents, during which close to nothing was announced but for a shambolic reveal that there was going to be a new Pokémon theme park opening in 2026 called PokéPark Kanto. The announcement treated us to images of cheap, plastic Pokémon toys balanced on a table. Someone used the words "where Pokémon truly exist" to describe the supposed wonders of this place, while we saw fiberglass Pokémon put near some trees. It was amazing."
"Part of me wishes it could all turn out to be some Willy Wonka Experience-type fiasco, eventually opening on February 5 to reveal a bleak, near-empty warehouse with a few 3D-printed Pokémon toys and a lady wearing a yellow tracksuit and face paint telling crying children that she's Pikachu. I realize, given this is The Pokémon Company (and therefore Nintendo), that's not enormously likely. But it sure is being marketed like it should be!"
An initial July reveal presented PokéPark Kanto with shambolic footage and images of cheap plastic and fiberglass Pokémon, alongside the phrase "where Pokémon truly exist." An official opening date has been announced four months later, accompanied by an animated trailer showing animated people in an animated park. The marketing leans into surreal, whimsical fantasy while providing little concrete information about attractions or realism. The park will be part of the Yomiuriland theme park in Tokyo and is described as the first ever permanent Pokémon outdoor facility. The promotion evokes images of a Willy Wonka-style spectacle, alternating between absurdity and corporate polish. Skepticism remains about any real-world Pokémon appearing in the park.
Read at Kotaku
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