With today's announcement of a Pokemon Presents video presentation premiering tomorrow morning ahead of Pokemon Day, it seems that celebrations for Pokemon's 25th anniversary are finally in full swing. This week, The Pokemon Company has celebrated by streaming old episodes of the anime on Twitch, moments from the 2019 Pokemon Video Game Championships, and more.
All of these events from this past week have led up to a collaboration with Post Malone, which will bring fans a virtual concert in celebration of the franchise's 25th anniversary this Saturday. Just after the Pokemon Presents announcement this morning, The Pokemon Company's official Twitter account revealed more information on the upcoming virtual concert, as well as a new song by Post Malone, which contains a neat easter egg for long-time Pokemon fans.
As part of the P25 Music celebration, Post Malone and Pokemon have released a cover of "Only Wanna Be with You" by Hootie and the Blowfish. A cover of the hit 1995 song seems fitting given the Pokemon franchise's 1990's origins, as well as ties to its classic "I choose you" line. However, some fans have noticed that the song also contains nods to the theme of Ecruteak City from Pokemon Gold and Silver.
At the beginning of Post Malone's Hootie and the Blowfish cover, fans noticed that the chiptune intro to the theme from Pokemon Gold and Silver's Ecruteak City was mashed-up with the song, sounding just as long-time fans may have remembered it from the 1999 Game Boy Color games. Twitter user TAHK0 expressed that mixing in chiptune Pokemon themes with nostalgic songs from the 1990's seems like the perfect way to capture the origins of the franchise. Hundred of other fans chimed in, expressing their newfound love for Post Malone, as well as how the song has surpassed their expectations for a Post Malone and Pokemon collaboration.
On its official website, The Pokemon Company noted that Post Malone will be performing the newly released song during the P25 Music Virtual Concert this Saturday. Aside from some type of involvement from Katy Perry, not much else has been revealed about the P25 Music celebration. But now, fans have expressed that they hope to see more nods to their favorite Pokemon games mashed-up with hit songs from the 1990's.
Of course, this nod to Pokemon Gold and Silver has many wondering if it has anything to do with the rumored Let's Go, Johto games possibly being revealed tomorrow during the Pokemon Presents video presentation. Either way, it seems fans will have to wait just a bit longer to learn more about Pokemon's anniversary celebrations this year.