Pokemon Go Offers Farfetch'd as Big Prize in New Event

Pokemon Go is calling for players to catch three billion Pokemon, with some big rewards on the line.

Starting right now, players will have one week to catch over 3 billion Pokemon, with different global rewards getting unlocked at different milestones. When players catch 500 million Pokemon globally, all players will get double XP, increased Pokemon spawns around the world, and increase the length of lures from 30 minutes to 6 hours.

Even more Pokemon will appear when players hit the 1.5 billion Pokemon milestone, along with a double stardust bonus.

If players hit the 3 billion Pokemon caught goal, Farfetch'd will start spawning around the world during a 48 hour window. Players in East Asia (who already have Farfetch'd as their usual regional exclusive Pokemon) will get the chance to catch Kangaskhan instead.

This marks the second time that Pokemon Go has tried a "global challenge" to encourage players to catch as many Pokemon as they could. The first event coincided with Pokemon Go Fest, although technical issues prevented players from tracking their progress towards various goals.

The new Travel Event is part of Niantic's promotion of a new video series called "Pokemon Go Travel." The new series follows a small group of trainers from around the world as they explore new places while catching Pokemon in Pokemon Go.

The first video series will follow three trainers as they travel to Japan for the upcoming Safari Zone event in Tottori, Japan. The group includes "Coisa de Nerd," whom we mentioned earlier this week was hinting at an upcoming event for Pokemon Go. While we thought he might be testing a new feature (like PvP,) he and several other YouTubers are instead participating in the first chapter of Niantic's new video series.

The event begins right now and runs through the 26th, so be sure to catch as many Pokemon as you can for a chance to capture the elusive Farfetch'd! We'll provide updates as rewards are unlocked.

[Editor's Note: The original version of this article stated the event began on November 20th. Pokemon Go has since clarified that the "Global Challenge" starts now.]