LONDON – Monday, December 12, 2016 – The Pokémon Company Internationaland Niantic, Inc. announced today the first addition of more Pokémon to Pokémon GO. Beginning today at 6:00 p.m. GMT, Trainers around the world will have the opportunity to add Togepi, Pichu and select Pokémon originally discovered in thePokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver video games to their Pokémon GO Pokédex. Trainers have the chance to find these Pokémon by visiting and spinning PokéStops to acquire Eggs. These Eggs might hatch a Togepi, Pichu or select other Pokémon. Additionally, from December 12, 2016, 6:00 p.m. GMT to December 29, 2016, 7:00 p.m. GMT, Trainers can encounter special-edition Pikachu all over the world. These Pikachu will be wearing a festive hat to celebrate the holiday season, and they will appear in large quantities during this period.

“As we race toward 2017, we can’t help but feel grateful for the support and reaction the Pokémon GO community has given us, and we’re delighted to start rolling out select Pokémon for them to hatch,” said Kei Kawai, director of product at Niantic, Inc. “We’re also looking forward to celebrating the season with our community by introducing a Pikachu wearing a festive hat, providing Trainers the opportunity to get out and explore their neighborhoods with friends and family as they gather for the holidays.”

“Fans around the world fell in love with Pokémon GO for the opportunity to encounter Pokémon—beloved pop-culture and gaming icons for 20 years—in the real world. Matched with the innovative technology and development of the mobile game by Niantic, hundreds of millions of players have filled their Pokédexes with over 100 available Pokémon in Pokémon GO while exploring the world around them,” said J.C. Smith, senior director of consumer marketing at The Pokémon Company International. “The opportunity to hatch select Pokémon originally discovered in the Johto region is just the beginning of how more Pokémon will be added to the game for Trainers to continue their Pokémon GO adventures.”

Trainers are invited to use the hashtag #PokemonGO on Twitter to share news about any new Pokémon they encounter. To keep up with the latest Pokémon GO news, including this rollout of more Pokémon and the appearance of the festive Pikachu, visit the official Niantic blog at PokemonGOlive.com.

To view a video about the event, visit this link:https://www.youtube.com/embed/M9ctBliiq1A

About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing and marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.co.uk.

About Niantic, Inc.
Niantic, Inc. builds mobile real-world experiences that foster fun, exploration, discovery and social interaction. Originally incubated within Google, Niantic, Inc. was founded by John Hanke, who previously helmed the Google Geo team (including Google Maps and Google Earth) after his startup Keyhole was acquired by Google. In 2015, Niantic, Inc. spun out from Google, becoming an independent company with investments from Google, The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. The company’s immersive real-world mobile game Ingress has been downloaded more than 15 million times and is played in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Niantic, Inc. also developed and published Pokémon GO, the real-world Pokémon game for iOS and Android mobile devices that was downloaded more than 500 million times in its first two months. For more information on Niantic, Inc., please visitwww.nianticlabs.com .