Twitch is streaming all 19 seasons, 16 movies of the of the Pokémon animé in what is probably its biggest marathon yet.
Twitch is no stranger to the Pokémon franchise, having played host to the social gaming experiment Twitch Plays Pokémon some years past.
The marathon is just one component of the event, however. For the first time, Twitch is going to introduce interactive elements that'll let viewers virtually collect Pokémon badges as they watch.
These are Pokémon-themed Twitch badges, keep in mind, not actual gym badges from the show. They will appear onscreen via a Twitch Extensions overlay and will be equivalent to points, and players who catch the most badges will be included in a global leaderboard over the course of the event.
Twitch 'Pokémon' Marathon
Twitch will broadcast episodes and films beginning Aug. 27, but it is parsing the entire cache into disparate sets of marathons that will continue in 2019. The Verge notes that this makes it less of a marathon event, and more of Twitch turning into a TV channel of sorts that only airs Pokémon at specific dates.
"Our upcoming Pokémon: The Series viewing event — which is in partnership with The Pokémon Company International — marks our most ambitious block of animated to date in terms of duration content," according to Jane Weedon, Twitch's business development director.
The first marathon will kick off with the first season called Pokémon: Indigo League, on Aug. 27 at 1 p.m. EDT, or 10 a.m. PDT. Everything will be broadcast on the TwitchPresents channel, where participants can also view a full schedule of the event.
How About 'Sun' And 'Moon'?
Unfortunately, the marathon will not include the latest Sun and Moon installments of the animated franchise, so users have to tune in to an actual TV network that airs those episodes. In any case, Twitch's event will be a great way to catch up on the entire Pokémon mythology for all the fans out there, and will likely be the first time those who grew up with just the games to see what makes the animé so special.
For Twitch, this is not the first time it will host a marathon event for Pokémon. Back in 2016, the official Pokémon channel did a 24-hour stream of the animé. However, this event is much larger in scale and involves interactive elements as well, which weren't included before.
Thrilled for Twitch's upcoming Pokémon marathon? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
