In anticipation of Pokemon GO’s fourth anniversary, Niantic has released a special commercial today commemorating this year’s Pokemon GO Fest directed by Knives Out and Star Wars: The Last Jedi mastermind Rian Johnson.
Set within the confines of the players’ home due to the coronavirus pandemic rendering the event completely digital, the 30-second commercial gives players a closer look at what surprises they can reveal as they play Pokemon GO remotely during the festival.
According to Niantic’s blog, Johnson is a huge fan of the augmented-reality Pokemon game, and he said he used his cinematic vision to show viewers how they can go beneath the surface of their home lives and engage with their Pokemon in the real world to take the boredom out of the social constraints the pandemic has placed them under.
“Pokemon GO has kept me engaged with my friends remotely as I’ve been practicing physical distancing these past few months. As a longtime Pokemon trainer, it was a real pleasure working with Niantic on this spot. It was a new experience for me to direct a production remotely, and I enjoyed the highly collaborative process and think we put together a fun and upbeat commercial that fans will enjoy.”
In keeping with the theme of the Pokemon GO Fest, Johnson directed the cast and crew in New Zealand and collaborated with teams from Niantic, The Pokemon Company International and agency staff from New York, Seattle, San Francisco, London and Tokyo to produce the fun-filled commercial — all from his home in Los Angeles.
You can check out the Pokemon GO Fest commercial below.
The Pokemon GO Fest will be held from July 25 to 26, and players will be able to log in to the virtual lounge from anywhere in the world. And yes, your ticket purchase covers both days of the event.
