The coronavirus pandemic has left much of the world in flux as schools, businesses, and places of gathering shut down to avoid the spread of disease. A number of video games have been delayed as people move to work from home, and other sources of entertainment have been equally affected. Yesterday the official Japanese Pokemon anime Twitter account announced that the current season will have its production "temporarily suspended" due to the coronavirus.
Though the Pokemon anime has been around nearly as long as the games, it continues to be widely popular by keeping up with new Regions and monsters added in every subsequent generation. This season has changed things more radically than usual by introducing a second main protagonist named Go that is traveling all around the world with Ash Ketchum in every episode.
The new format has seemingly led to a surge of popularity for the show, as there have been many weeks since Season 23 began that Pokemon like Riolu have trended on Twitter after being caught by Ash or Go. However it makes sense for the series to go on hiatus while the world has taken drastic measures to stem the spread of coronavirus, and apparently reruns will still be shown during what would be a new episode's time slot starting next week. There's no indication as to when production is expected to begin again.
The Pokemon anime is not the only portion of Nintendo's multimedia empire that has been impacted by the current coronavirus pandemic and social distancing measures. Niantic's mobile game Pokemon GO is built around going outside and taking part in social endeavors, but since everything began the game has implemented new content to help players who are stuck at home.
While most entertainment productions have been floundering due to the push for social distancing, those that focus on offering a service to that homebound populace have seen success. For instance, Netflix stock has increased quite a bit in recent weeks, and has even overtaken Disney on the stock market.
For those who are still looking to get their Pokemon fix in lieu of watching the anime every week, options still exist. Not only are Pokemon Sword and Shield still updating with new events as the developers prepare to release DLC expansions, but the YouTube series Pokemon: Twilight Wings is offering fans glimpses into the lives of trainers from Pokemon's Galar Region, and as of now there's no indication it will also be stopped.