Pokemon Go to Cross Over Into Pokemon Trading Card Game

Pokemon Go will be getting its first crossover with the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Niantic announced that Professor Willow would appear in an upcoming Pokemon Trading Card expansion, which will be released in summer of 2021. The crossover is intended to celebrate Pokemon Go's fifth anniversary, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Pokemon TCG. Niantic will announce the art and content of the Pokemon card in May. The Professor Willow card is just "Part 1" of the collaboration between Pokemon Go and the Pokemon Trading Card Gaem, with more collaborations to be announced at a later date. No other details were provided about the collaboration and if it would feature any sort of crossover into Pokemon Go.

This is another step in Pokemon Go's integration as a core part of the Pokemon franchise. Over the last five years, Pokemon Go has made a major impact on the Pokemon franchise. In addition to reinvigorating and expanding the Pokemon fanbase, it has also influenced the main series games (with the release of Pokemon: Let's Go, which borrowed catch mechanics and CP from Pokemon Go) and the anime series (with Goh, a character named after Pokemon Go.)

Although this is the first time that Pokemon Go has appeared in the Pokemon TCG, it's not the first crossover between the card game and other parts of the franchise. Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Art Academy have both received crossover cards, and the anime has also received periodic crossover cards, including entire decks themed around various anime characters.

In other Pokemon Go news, the game has just launched its new Season of Legends, a three-month theme featuring new events and a switch up in Pokemon. Additionally, the game is set to celebrate its monthly Community Day this weekend, featuring the Fire-type Pokemon Fletchling.