Adidas Reveals Pixelated Pokemon Sneakers

One of the more enjoyable distractions in Pokemon Sword and Shield revolves around the game's many fashion options. Players can change just about every article of clothing that their trainer wears in the game, including shirts, pants and even sneakers! While older Pokemon fans in the real world don't have a ton of Pokemon-related footwear options, Adidas has been slowly changing that, with their Pokemon x Adidas Advantage collection. The company's latest design should appeal to fans that have been with the franchise for some time. That's because their newest design features a pixelated Pikachu, based on the character's sprite from Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen!

Pikachu is clearly the star of the shoe, which makes sense given that it's the star of the franchise. However, the interior lining features a number of other familiar sprites, including Tauros, Magmar, Bulbasaur and Mewtwo. As far as video game sneakers go, it's a really nice, subtle design. Pikachu is right there in the forefront, but with a sneaker that's otherwise plain white, it's a very simple, clean design that should appeal to the older fans these shoes are targeted towards.

This is actually the third Pokemon shoe from Adidas thus far. Earlier this year, the company released a pair based on Pikachu and a pair based on Squirtle. Those designs were a bit less subtle, however, with both a large, embroidered image of the character and a pattern with smaller images of each respective Pokemon, as well.

The Pokemon franchise has been going strong since it arrived in North America in 1998, but 2019 has proven to be a banner year for the brand. Earlier this year saw the release of the live action Pokemon: Detective Pikachu film, which was a rare critical and commercial success for a film based on a video game. Last month also saw the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield. Mainline Pokemon games have always proven to be rather strong sellers, but Sword and Shield had the most financially successful debut month for the series ever. It remains to be seen what 2020 will hold for Pikachu and pals, but The Pokemon Company will have their hands full trying to top the previous year.

As of this writing, no price or release date has been announced for Adidas' new Pokemon sneakers. What do you think of their design? Would you rock these while kicking around the Galar region? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!