Pokémon Legends: Arceus isn’t a perfect game by any means, but that didn’t stop it from syphoning all of my free time when it launched back in 2022. This was the first time in a while where I truly felt the desire to “catch ’em all”. While Arceus still borrowed a lot from the mainline games, it did enough to make the world of Pokémon feel fresh and alive in ways the franchise previously hadn’t for many players, including myself.
Legends: Arceus isn’t an open-world game, though the zones it offered still did a solid job of making me feel immersed in the environment. Not only would you find Pokémon walking around all over the place, you could sneak up on them and toss a ball without the need for a battle. This could backfire as a Pokémon might be alerted to your presence and lay the smackdown on you. Yeah, you – the trainer. There was a sense of danger and mystery that really couldn’t be found in any previous Pokémon games.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
An action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. The story is based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.
The iconic series returns as the definitive free-to-play modern team-based tactical shooter, and features three distinct gameplay modes: Warfare, Operations, and Black Hawk Down, a remake of the classic campaign based on the 2011 film.
Shantae is back in an adventure 20 years in the making! The nefarious pirate Risky Boots has a “groundbreaking” new plan that will leave Sequin Land spinning — by rotating the continent, she can move any town right to the coast for easy plundering! As Shantae, turn the tectonic tables on Risky by taking control of the land itself: shift, twist, navigate, and explore by swapping between mix-and-match multilayered levels!
A brand new adventure from Okomotive, creators of the atmospheric and acclaimed Far games, and Panic, publishers of Firewatch. Head out on a grand alpine expedition with a herd of loveable beasts, as you ascend a mountain path, encounter eerie dangers and surprising obstacles, and forge your way to the mystery at the summit.
A first-person psychological horror game from the intricate BrokenLore series. Shinji is a young hikikomori, trapped inside his small Tokyo apartment. His only escape is video games, but even that can’t ease the crushing weight of his anxiety. Explore Shinji’s mind as it unravels but be cautious. Hyakume, a malevolent entity with a hundred eyes, is watching, waiting for the right moment to strike.
A farm‑themed puzzle game where every piece matters. Your goal is to place farm items of various shapes and sizes into a grid, filling the pen without any empty spaces. It sounds simple but get ready for challenges that would make even the most seasoned farmer sweat under their hat.
In this thrilling 2D platformer, you play as a brave astronaut stranded on a mysterious alien planet after a failed mission. Your only hope of escape lies in collecting powerful energy cores hidden across treacherous levels.
Smash through hexagonal blocks beneath your feet, collect every shimmering coin, and unlock the mysterious gate to freedom. Think fast and move faster — each level is a puzzle of precision and timing. But be careful: leave something behind, and you may not get another chance. Can you clear the path and make your escape?
Acres – August 20 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
Acres is all about tending to your crops and nurturing the land for a bountiful yield. Your success hinges on your ability to respond to market orders, cultivating the right crops in the right amounts to meet demand.
A romantic sports visual novel where dreams, rivalry, and love collide on the football field. Play as Kaito, a rising star chasing championship glory while facing off against fierce (and flirty) opponents — each with a story, a spark, and a challenge of their own. Will you win the tournament… and someone’s heart along the way?
Play as Val, a brilliant mechanic from the slums who won’t stand for the injustices she witnesses daily. While the Queen’s chosen elite flaunt their wealth, ordinary people work night and day to keep the spring work foundries running – all while the ministries breathe down their necks. Every aspect of life in Riveton is regulated, and your rations will be cut if you so much as think about protesting.
Get ready to hack your way through increasingly complex computer systems in retro arcade style! Core.Sys is a brainteasing action puzzler where you’ll need to break through layers of digital security with quick-thinking strategy. Move your cursor around a 5×5 grid of alphanumeric key panels, use your scanning ability to identify the next piece of code needed and select that panel to complete the code sequence, thus bypassing security and gaining access to the next layer.
Breed, feed, and collect cute critters in this cozy, relaxing farm sim that is easy to pick up and play for everyone! Critters have complex emotional needs that must be balanced to keep them alive and happy. Critters need to eat, and each species has a unique diet. Discover new Critters by evolving the ones that are present in your garden to complete your Critter Phylogeny!
Embark on an epic journey to defeat the forces of darkness that have taken over the kingdom of Valerond. As the legendary hero Golden Knight, a defender of endangered kingdoms, you were caught off guard by the encroaching darkness while traveling through the region. Determined to save the kingdom, you venture through mysterious forests and treacherous castles, facing hordes of enemies and deadly challenges.
The end of the 23rd century. Earth lies in the grip of a new Ice Age. Famine, cold, and fanatic cults threaten what is left of civilization. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. Nine of the strongest heroes of the age come seeking the ultimate prize: the Heart of Volent, an object with the power to reshape reality. All are ruthless, powerful, determined. To succeed they must work together. But only one can have the Heart.
A non-linear platformer action game about a shaman and his mask featuring minimalistic melee combat system with evasion mechanics, different spells (runes) to choose from, and enemies and bosses with different abilities and attacking style.
A thrilling “Find-the-Difference” game with a hidden object twist. The notorious Cheddar Mafia is spreading chaos across the Americas, and only SpotCat can stop them. Explore vibrant, hand-drawn scenes from different countries, spot the subtle differences, and stay sharp—mafia rats can appear when you least expect it.
Immerse yourself in 40 years of video game history and experience the classic Boulder Dash in an epic anniversary edition! Join Rockford on his hunt for diamonds in dangerous caves – more faithful to the original than ever before, yet more modern than ever!
Manage your own supermarket, explore the tight-knit community of Blomkest, build friendships or make enemies as you uncover the town’s secrets in this cozy management sim RPG! Step into the quirky harbour town of Blomkest, where your aunt has entrusted you with managing its only supermarket. Design and organise your shop, manage stock levels, work the checkout, and strike trade deals
Journey of Johann is an action-adventure platformer with puzzle elements. Make your way through levels and a boss with different challenges and obstacles. Collect goblets, secrets and beat time trials. Use your weapons as tools such as climbing, blocking hits, and defeating enemies. The game was designed with speedrunning in mind.
Europe is on its knees. Deadly Axis Mechs patrol the landscape, intimidating the populace and flushing out rebels. Survivors are few, but have regrouped under the new flag of The Resistance. You are the free world’s last hope. Your deadly mission; deliver a devastating EMP weapon into heart of enemy territory to turn the tide of the war.
Recruit powerful units, place them strategically and find the best synergies in this Roguelike Autobattler! Knightica lets you guide a warband through many challenges to free the Kingdoms. Discover optimal combinations, weave powerful enchants, face dangerous monsters and lead your army to victory!
Build a life, cultivate your community and start a dynasty in a region once devastated by famine and war. Play solo or in co-op multiplayer and explore a beautiful open world. Gather resources, craft, hunt and build, then automate your village production to survive and grow.
With its enhanced 4K visuals, the frozen landscapes, eerie corridors, and terrifying creatures have never looked more hauntingly real. Antarctica 88 4K Remaster is a chilling action-horror experience that takes you deep into the frozen wastelands of Antarctica. Now more immersive and visually stunning than ever, this remastered edition brings every shadow, every monstrous creature, and every moment of terror to life in breathtaking detail.
Stack, match, and blast your way through endless puzzles in Blocky Blast! Master the art of fitting colorful block shapes, clear rows, and collect precious gems in an explosive puzzle adventure. Whether you’re chasing high scores in Infinite Mode or solving creative challenges in Adventure Mode, every move counts. Easy to pick up, hard to put down — can you become the ultimate Blocky Master?
Follow the courageous explorer Calyssa on her quest to find the entrance to ancient ruins, where a legendary treasure lies hidden. In this intense precision platformer, players will face deadly traps, dark creatures, and a forgotten curse — testing their reflexes and skills to uncover the secrets of the place and survive the dangerous journey.
Phy embarks on a secret mission to an abandoned planet infested by a hostile hivemind. With the help of her partner Lizz and General Eral, she dives into the depths of the infestation and learns the dark truth behind its origins. Help her find the heart of the hive and put an end to this evergrowing threat.
Fire & Water is a classic puzzle-platformer where Fire Boy and Water Girl must work together to solve tricky environmental challenges and escape each level. But there’s a twist — Fire Boy can’t touch water, Water Girl can’t touch fire, and black water is deadly for both.
The sequel to a hit that reached over half a million downloads! Pocket Mini Golf 2 will provide many hours of simple yet addictive gameplay solo or with friends! Explore multiple mini-worlds thriving with life! Colorful oceanic landscapes, crazy laboratories, secret gardens, toy stores – visit them all and collect gems to buy new skins, whacky sounds, and visual effects!
A business simulator game with a first-person view. Make money from garbage, collect raw materials for your recycling center from different locations, recycle them, make money by producing new products and improve your factory.
SF3RA is an action platformer with a mix of 3D and retro 2D graphics. SFERA is an intergalactic association of assassins, operating under the cover of the robot union. You are an assassin hired by them. You are tasked to eliminate out of control robots in the A7FA-3T system.
Sewer Quest is a relaxing puzzle game where players must correctly connect pipes to allow water to flow and progress through the levels. With a gentle soundtrack, accessible gameplay, and 40 carefully designed challenges, the game offers an ideal experience for all ages—perfect for those looking to relax while exercising logical thinking. It’s easy to play, hard to put down, and great for relieving everyday stress.
The office is in chaos. The employees are gone. And the pets? Completely out of control! Welcome to Pets Hidden In The Office, a fun 3D hidden object game where your mission is to track down wild animals causing panic in offices across the city. But they won’t go down without a fight — some play dead (very convincingly), others take off like furry rockets the moment you spot them. Think you’re observant? Think again.
A story-driven RPG with a unique gaming system blending elements of simulation, item collection, and adventure. Discover the perfect combination of fairytale-like graphics and deep worldbuilding! Accompany Pieberry, a young witch running from a Witch Hunt, as she embarks on a grand adventure!
Engage in legendary tank battles and dominate the global war zone! In this intense real-time strategy game, build your base, fortify defenses, and unleash a strategic warfare frenzy. It’s time to prove your tactical prowess and become the ultimate legend in the Armageddon of tank battles!
Reposition Defense is a top-down tactical tower defense where you don’t just place your troops, you actively manage their position! The kingdom has fallen under the onslaught of dark forces, and its defenders have been bound by magic. They can’t move, but they can still fight!
We Don’t Cry is an intense survival horror shooter that combines action-packed defense mechanics with deep resource management. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, defend your companions from waves of zombies and raiders, build and upgrade structures, and make critical decisions to ensure survival.
This week is the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, and with it, the first playable demo of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I had the chance to play two different ten-minute segments of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and though I’m still left with a lot of questions, I did play just enough to develop some first impressions about the mechanic I’m the most curious about: its battle system.
But first, a quick aside, to answer a big question many of you no doubt have: I played the Pokémon Legends: Z-A demo on a Nintendo Switch 2, and it ran well and looked moderately better than the new Switch 2 versions of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Of course, this is just a demo, and thus I didn’t get to experiment with draw distance or put it to the test with dozens of wild Pokémon on screen.
Back to the demo: one portion of my play session was set in the early-game of only the fourth main mission: Battling in the Z-A Royale. Here, I entered a Battle Zone marked by a red area on the map, where I needed to earn enough ticket points in trainer battles to get a Challenger’s Ticket, which is needed to take part in a Promotion Match. Winning that Promotion Match for the Z-A Royale would upgrade my rank from Z to Y.
If a trainer attacks you when you aren’t looking, that means the opponent’s Pokémon gets that free first attack on your Pokémon, which is also a guaranteed critical hit.
We already knew about this core gameplay loop, which I assume we’ll be taking part in repeatedly until we reach Rank A and earn the vague prize of a single wish. It’s an entertaining enough system, where, at night, you roam the streets of a predetermined area to face other starry-eyed trainers. In expected Pokémon fashion, as soon as a trainer sees you, the battle is on–but in Legends: Z-A, if a trainer attacks you when you aren’t looking, that means the opponent’s Pokémon gets that free first attack on your Pokémon, which is also a guaranteed critical hit.
Personally, I find this to be an incredibly rude tactic that goes against the friendly competitive spirit of Pokémon, but of course, I took advantage of it myself when one of my stylish teammates, Lida, suggested I try it out. The tight corners of city streets mean it’s easy to get surprised, but it also offers opportunities for you to crouch and sneak in close to a target yourself.
Battle begins seamlessly, just like in Legends: Arceus, but Legends: Z-A does away with Legends: Arceus’ slightly modified version of the core turn-based battle mechanics we’re all most familiar with. Instead, Z-A is full real-time action. At least, that’s how it presents itself.
To attack, you essentially use Z-Targeting by holding the ZL button and then pressing the face buttons to instruct your Pokémon which move to use. This is the same whether you’re in battle, initiating a battle, or instructing your Pokémon to attack an obstacle–like some rocks I saw at the beginning of the mission that none of my Pokémon were strong enough to break.
As expected, each Pokémon can know four moves at a time, and those are the moves you have access to on the four face buttons. Surprisingly, the moves don’t seem to have PP (Power Points), meaning that they can be used an unlimited number of times, with consideration to their cooldown, a new mechanic for Pokémon commonly used for skill-based action games. Different moves have different cooldown times, but the moves I had access to this early in the game all had relatively short cooldowns (around six or seven seconds) and short “casting” times as well that aren’t communicated in any menus.
Regardless of these limitations, I was pretty much always able to attack with another move as soon as my Pokémon was done attacking with the first. The moves will “fill up” with color as the cool-down counts down, indicating when you can attack with it again, but I do wish that feedback was more clearly communicated. I ended up just using almost all of the moves available in rotation pretty mindlessly. You can’t instruct your Pokémon to dodge or perform any other maneuvers besides those four attacks, though Pokémon can miss attacks if the opponent is too far from the attack’s range.
Battle actions appear on the right side of the screen, informing you of things like attacks performed, debuffs, and critical hits. The feedback for missing attacks, however, seemed to be nonexistent, so I can see learning when the best time to attack could be a bit difficult.
In trainer battles, you can’t be damaged or take the hit for your Pokémon (I tried. Mareep still fainted.) But you can get hurt in battles against wild Pokémon and the more dangerous Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon, the other core gameplay plot device in Legends: Z-A. (And you still can’t take a hit for your Pokémon, at least it seemed to be that way.)
The second part of the demo pit me against a Rogue Mega-Evolved Absol after following the dog-like Zygarde 10% forme to it as part of another early-game mission, this time, the ninth. Somehow, the small-ish Zygarde carries you up to the roof where the Absol is, but apparently your character closes their eyes while this happens as the screen fades out and suddenly you’re on the roof.
Anyway, this early in the game, you don’t have the ability to Mega Evolve a Pokémon on your own, so the mysterious AZ lends you a Mega Ring, a Lucario, and the Lucarionite Mega Stone so you can face the Rogue Mega Absol without getting your butt categorically handed to you.
In this battle, you must dodge to avoid the opponent’s attacks, as Absol is coming for you–not just your Pokémon. I found it a bit cumbersome to balance attacking and avoiding enemy attacks, as you can attack only while you’re locked onto a target with ZL, but you can’t dash or dodge while targeting. I’m sure this is something I’d develop better muscle memory for as I play more, but it felt odd to have my actions restricted like that.
There’s also a secondary goal to pay attention to when up against Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon: you must collect Mega Power orbs to build up enough energy to Mega Evolve your Pokémon, and keep collecting them so your Pokémon doesn’t de-Mega Evolve. Attacking the Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon forces the Mega Power orbs out of them, which you then must pick up yourself. It’s a pretty clever way to force you to put yourself in danger and use the dodge mechanics.
Legends: Z-A didn’t feel like a full action game to me, but kind of more like an MMO, with its casting times, cooldowns, and behind-the-scenes math happening.
This fight was much more interesting than the trainer battles, as is expected considering all the extra things I needed to worry about besides pressing the attack buttons. Another thing I noticed is that, although you can’t tell your Pokémon to dodge, they will default to returning to your side when you’re not locked on to an opponent. So if you start avoiding the enemy’s AOE (area of effect) attacks, your Pokémon will too, as long as you give them enough time to retreat.
Overall, Legends: Z-A didn’t feel like a full action game to me, but kind of more like an MMO, with its casting times, cooldowns, and behind-the-scenes math happening. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I do hope Legends: Z-A gets challenging enough to make me more intentionally dish out commands and think about switching Pokémon at just the right moment. I can see the potential, but with just twenty minutes of experiencing the early game, it’s much too soon to tell if this real-time battle system will scratch the strategy-itch Pokémon games usually do for me.
Some last-minute housekeeping, as I did briefly explore the menus: Pokémon have the common six-stat spread, no abilities (just like in Legends: Arceus), but do have Natures that affect their stats (unlike in Legends: Arceus). I also found a shop that sells Mints to change these Natures while I played through the ninth story mission.
Like I said before, I have a lot of questions and I’m very keen to play more Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but for now, we’ll have to wait until it’s out on October 16 to know more.
Casey DeFreitas is a deputy editor of guides at IGN and has been catching Pokémon since Red and Blue. Catch her on socials @ShinyCaseyD.
EA have made a tweak to the Battlefield 6 open beta’s rush, and are keeping tabs on the situation in case it needs more balancing changes. This comes as some FPS folks and Battlefield vets have voiced their displeasure with the version of the mode that’s debuted in this second weekend of beta action.
The biggest moans are related to size. Namely the amount of players on each side in these revamped rush battles and the relatively small maps they’re being contested on. As you might imagine, those two elements being a bit titchier in scale than previous Battlefields has also had knock on effects for other aspects of the mode.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers got its 1.5 Patch this week, bringing multiple quality-of-life improvements to the Soulslike, but also story and boss adjustments which appear to have been made to appease Chinese netizens.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition is out now, and of course modders are already pushing it to its limits. But the way they’re doing it is a lot of fun — and is perhaps the closest we’ll get to seeing a Waaagh! visualized on-screen.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is Relic Entertainment’s much-loved real-time strategy game set in Games Workshop’s grim dark sci-fi universe. It launched in 2004 and proved to be an entry point into the Warhammer 40,000 universe for a generation of PC gamers, while also pleasing existing fans with its authentic representation of the setting.
Now, over 20 years later, Dawn of War returns in Definitive Edition form, and some of the modders who have spent years tinkering with the original are excitedly moving over to this new version to see what it’s capable of.
Much of this early testing is being done by people involved with Dawn of War’s wonderful Unification Mod, which lets users seamlessly combine almost all community-created races. Within hours of Definitive Edition’s release this week, modders started seeing how many Ork Boyz they could spawn in-game before it crashes, because, well… what else would Ork Boyz do?
One member of the Unification Discord, Gunnisson, led the charge by summoning Ork Boyz as soon as they got their hands on the Definitive Edition:
Then, a progress update at nearly 1,000 Boyz spawned:
Over 3,000, and according to Gunnisson: “They’re pathing through each other exceptionally well.”
The Ork count kept on increasing, to the point where, after more than 10,000 Orks, Dawn of War hit single-digit frames per second and became unplayable. But it still ran! “I mean, 10,000+ models on screen, I call that a win for performance and stability,” Gunnisson said.
Gunnisson was eventually able to make 47,504 Ork Boyz “before the game died.” It took over seven hours, they said, while publishing the screenshot below: “At the end it was still chugging along at 10 seconds-per-frame.”
“Performance is fantastic,” Gunnisson added. “It took a lot of corpses to start impacting.” Then: “I’m hyped to try some big matches.”
This is a herculean effort, and for Warhammer 40,000 fans is about as close as we’ll get to a good old Waaagh! For the uninitiated, this is the name given to the wonderful moment when enough Orks gain enough collective momentum to launch devastating system-wide invasions. The Orks don’t really understand what’s going on or why it’s going on — they’re just happy they’re in a massive scrap — but for anyone on the receiving end, it’s bad news indeed.
In a post on Steam to mark the release of the Definitive Edition, Relic thanked modders for helping to test the game ahead of launch.
“We want to say a huge thank you to our community modders who we have been working with for many months,” Relic said. “They’ve put in a lot of work both in helping us to support legacy mods, and in readying their own mods for the Definitive Edition.”
It’s exciting to imagine what modders will be able to do with the Definitive Edition in the coming years as they get to grips with the game. As Gunnisson suggested, massive battles involving tens of thousands of units may now be possible, if the game can stand up to it. Perhaps then we’ll get truly lore accurate body counts.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Cast your mind back to 2022 and you might remember Dark Deity, the fantasy turn-based RPG that took more than a little inspiration from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Fast forward to the present day and we have Dark Deity 2, the second entry in the series which looks just as tied to the Nintendo touchstone.
This one launched on PC earlier this year, but developer Sword and Axe and publisher Indie.io have announced that it will also be making its way to Switch on 4th September, and we can’t help but feel that it’s a good fit.
Diablo 4 fans believe Blizzard has leaked the action RPG’s next class via an internal build name.
Wowhead reported that the Paladin class, perhaps the most-requested by fans since Diablo 4’s June 2023 release, is coming soon, potentially even as part of Season 11. That’s because the word Paladin was found in the name of a build uploaded to Blizzard’s servers (2.5.Xpaladin67961).
The Paladin is one of the most popular classes from Diablo 2, so its arrival in Diablo 4, should it happen, would be celebrated by the game’s community. Now, this may be nothing (and Diablo 4 fans are already joking that the Paladin will be added as a Mercenary rather than a new class), but a new class is expected from Diablo 4’s second expansion, and the Paladin would certainly be a crowd-pleaser.
Diablo 4 hit the headlines last week after development chief Rod Fergusson announced his exit from Blizzard. “After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it’s time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next,” Fergusson wrote. “The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together and looking forward to what comes next for Diablo, and for me.”
Then, this week, Blizzard’s Story and Franchise Development team (SFD) voted in favor of unionization with the Communications Workers of America. “After more than a decade working at Blizzard, I’ve seen all the highs and lows,” said organizing committee member and principal editor Bucky Fisk. “For years, Blizzard has been a place where people could build their careers and stay for decades, but that stability’s been fading. With a union, we’re able to preserve what makes this place special, secure real transparency in how decisions are made, and make sure policies are applied fairly to everyone.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Floating amid the scrap belts of space, some news. Hardspace: Shipbreaker is now owned by developers Blackbird Interactive, with the studio having bought control of the ship-stripping sim from publishers Saber Interactive. They’re not having a rest after cracking open that bubbly either, writing that “multiple Hardspace projects” are in development.
Blackbird revealed all of this via a Steam post, writing that they’ve “reached an agreement with Focus Entertainment, our publishing partner, to reacquire full ownership of the Hardspace: Shipbreaker intellectual property”. So, as you might expect, doing plenty of Hardspacey things is going to be a big part of the studio’s plans going forwards.
McDonald’s has announced fresh restrictions aimed at combating scalpers, as it launches the next wave of its enormously popular Pokémon promotion in Japan.
The incident meant McDonald’s ran out of its cards within hours of its three-day promotion going live, forcing the burger brand to apologise to Pokémon fans left empty-handed. And now, McDonald’s has gone further — with new rules regarding the availability of Pokémon merchandise in Happy Meals applied from today.
“We deeply apologize to our customers who regularly use McDonald’s restaurants, as well as to our store staff and many others for any inconvenience caused by the Happy Set Pokémon Card Campaign,” McDonald’s wrote in a new statement released this morning.
“We will continue to release the Pokémon Happy Meals, which include five different toys, as scheduled from Friday, August 15. However, in light of the current situation, we will be implementing the following purchase restrictions for three days until Sunday, August 17th.”
These restrictions include a maximum purchase of three Happy Meals per group (this was previously higher, and per person). “If you order four or more,” McDonald’s now says, “we will refuse your purchase and cancel the order.”
“Furthermore, during this period, there may be restrictions on use at some stores and during certain hours,” the chain continued. “We will not allow purchases from customers who do not follow the above rules and etiquette.”
The biggest difference with the coming weekend’s promotion, however, is that it no longer features Pokémon cards at all — just Pokémon toys.
On scalping specifically, McDonald’s said it “does not tolerate the purchase of Happy Meals for the purpose of resale, or the abandonment or disposal of food,” in a direct response to the activities of some customers last weekend. However, it’s unclear how the chain can and will be able to enforce this. Still, what’s obvious is the brand has taken note of the social media outrage — and the disappointment among young Pokémon fans and families at not being able to get cards.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to customers who look forward to dining with their children, grandchildren, or friends due to these purchase restrictions,” McDonald’s concluded. “We will continue to review and improve these sales methods and measures, listening to the opinions of our customers and store staff.”
