Skip to main content

Pokémon Go joins metaverse with Ed Sheeran’s collab, brings back Squirtle with sunglasses

Pokémon Go announced today a new collaboration event with Ed Sheeran. Starting November 22, trainers will be able to check Ed Sheeran’s performance in the in-game News.

This is the first time Pokémon Go has created a musical event with a real person. Early this year, Niantic promoted a festival that introduced the mythical singer Pokémon Meloetta, which was the most lucrative weekend for the brand, apart from the one-day Kanto Tour event that happened in the first semester.

According to a blog post, the special Ed Sheeran performance will take place between November 22 to November 30. His concert will feature songs from =, Ed’s new album, and more. Songs include:

  • “Perfect”
  • “Bad Habits”
  • “Overpass Graffiti”
  • “Thinking Out Loud”
  • “First Time”
  • “Shivers”

Alongside this show, trainers will be able to find in-game Squirtle wearing sunglasses. It’s been quite some time since Pokémon Go introduced this special monster, and people that joined the game later will finally have a chance to catch it

Not only that but Totodile, Mudkip, Piplup, and Oshawott will start appearing somewhat frequently in the wild. All of them, of course, can be found in a shiny version.

Ed always chooses the Water-type Pokémon as his first partner when he starts a Pokémon RPG. In celebration of this collaboration, look forward to an event featuring all of the Water-type first-partner Pokémon currently available in Pokémon GO!

Site default logo image

Although it’s unclear how this in-game concert will look like, it’s weird that Pokémon Go joins this metaverse experience just after Niantic’s CEO John Hanke said that he’s against Facebook’s (aka Meta) metaverse future and doubled down on this AR future.

For Hanke, the metaverse is dystopian: “It takes us away from what fundamentally makes us happy as human beings.” He also said:

“I really got into this idea of using digital tech to reinvigorate the idea of a public square, to bring people off the couch and out into an environment they can enjoy. There’s a lot of research that supports the positive psychological impact of walking through a park, walking through a forest—just walking.

Independently of what Niantic’s CEO thinks, one thing is for sure. Starting November 22, Pokémon Go trainers will have a brand-new event. There will also be new in-game music with Overpass Graffiti playing every night on the game starting next week. New avatar items, stickers, and bundles will also be available.

Are you joining Pokémon Go with this Ed Sheeran special event? What do you think about it? Tell us in the comments section below.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
Please wait...processing