There’s a new Pokemon arcade game on the way but you probably can’t play it

Pokemon Frienda is a new arcade machine from Marvelous and Takara Tomy Arts that will become available in Japanese game centers this summer.

Toy manufacturer Takara Tomy Arts Co. and game maker Marvelous have announced a joint venture to produce a new Pokemon-centric arcade cabinet, Pokemon Frienda.

Targeting younger audiences, Pokemon Frienda will release with a touch display and buttons that allow players to engage in immersive 3v3 battles.

The creatures users catch in-game will generate Frienda Picks, the rectangular card-like item seen in the image below. Players can then insert the Picks into the machine’s scanner to build out their party. From there, the arcade game should assign attacks to the ‘mon during battles.

Marvelous

In news that may disappoint some Pokemon faithful, this particular arcade cabinet will not receive a wide release across the globe. Instead, it’s on track to launch in July 2024 in game centers around Japan.

What’s more, Takara Tomy Arts Co. and Marvelous plan on introducing features that will make Pokemon Frienda compatible with the tags from 2020’s Pokemon Mezastar machine.

The companies have yet to confirm specifics, but those who have Mezastar “Memory Tags” can expect to enjoy a bonus of some kind when engaging with the new cabinet.

Pokemon Frienda will be available to play in Japanese game centers starting July 2024.