Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon’s first global mission launched today, requesting players from all over the world work together to collectively capture 100 million Pokémon between Nov. 29 and Dec. 13.
Capturing 100 million Pokémon as a first mission may sound like a tall order, but Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon have broken sales records, and even pre-order records, around the world. The games are Nintendo’s biggest UK launch ever and sold nearly 1.9 million units within three days in Japan. According to Famitsu, the initial shipment of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon included more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Though we don’t have exact numbers, we can assume a huge number of people are playing either Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon. If we take into account just 2 million participants out of the multiple millions of people most likely playing, each participant would have to catch 50 Pokémon within the allotted time to reach the goal of 100 million Pokémon caught by Dec. 13.
The prize for participating are Festival Coins (FC), a currency used in the Festival Plaza, a multiplayer feature in the games that includes a variety of shops and services. If the goal is reached, each participant will receive 1,000 FC; if failed, each participant will still receive at least 100 FC.
To partake in these global missions, players must first connect to the internet, access the Festival Plaza, and register their game to the Pokémon Global Link (PGL), the website that players can sync their Pokémon game saves to. Detailed instructions on how to use the “Game Sync” feature can be found here. Players must actively connect to the internet within the Festival Plaza to keep the PGL updated on their progress.
Global missions are just one of the new features of the updated PGL. The online multiplayer service was first introduced as the Global Terminal in Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl for the Nintendo DS and was limited to the Global Trading System (GTS) and online battling. The service has since expanded each generation, including features such as the Pokémon Dream World in Pokémon Black and Pokémon White.
Since the PGL’s updated launch on Nov. 18 for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, players could participate in Rating Battles with others from all around the world using a variety of different rule sets. With global missions now in play, the PGL is only missing two of its new features: Friendly Competitions and QR Rental Teams.
Friendly Competitions will allow players to host their own competitions, either live or online, with their very own custom set of rules. During these, trainer ranking will be calculated just as in Official Competitions.
QR Rental Teams is an entirely new concept that will allow players to share their teams of Pokemon publicly online. Then, on the PGL, players can scan the QR code using the 3DS’ camera for their desired team and play with the rental Pokemon in both local battles and Rating Battles. This Pokemon Stadium-like feature is only said to be “coming soon.”
More global missions are also said to be coming soon, but it’s unknown how often these worldwide events will take place, or of what variety.
