National Mall Tour Announced for ‘Black’ and ‘White;’ Celebi Download

Just received this in my inbox!

A massive mall tour will take place from February to March to celebrate the release of Black and White, similar to the old “Journey Across America” mall tour in 2006. You can read the press release below for more details. Each stop will last for two days and players will be able to download Celebi to their fourth generation games (Celebi will also be offered at Gamestop, as the press release mentions).

The mall tours will give fans a chance to play Black and White weeks before they are released in stores. There will be mall scavenger hunts, contests, loads of prizes, and Pokemon Center merchandise available for purchase. And for animé fans, families will be able to attend a free screening of Zoroark: Master of Illusions at theaters near the malls (a propagandist Pokemon film about the struggle of parent and child to overcome evil – an obvious ploy to lure the parents into the franchise!). How exciting for us fans!

POKÉMON LAUNCHING NATIONAL MALL TOUR TO SUPPORT RELEASE OF POKÉMON BLACK AND POKÉMON WHITE VIDEO GAMES

Blockbuster Year For Pokémon Franchise Kicks Off With Opportunity For Fans To Play Highly Anticipated Video Game Titles

BELLEVUE, Wash. – January 11, 2011 – Pokémon Trainers get ready… the Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version video games for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems are touring America! The Pokémon Company International announced today that one of the most anticipated video game releases of the year will be supported by a multi-city national mall tour starting February 5th – a month before the March 6th U.S. launch of the games. The 14-city tour will give fans an opportunity to discover all-new Pokémon while playing the brand-new adventure that has already taken Japan by storm. The mall tour will kick off a blockbuster year for the franchise with more activities, entertainment, and product releases on tap throughout 2011.

Each two-day stop along the Pokémon Black Version and White Version Tour will offer fans a truly immersive experience based on the new world found in the video games, with Pokémon taking over malls to celebrate the marquee releases. Video game demo areas will showcase Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version, allowing fans to experience the games firsthand. Families can attend a free screening of the new Pokémon feature-length film, Pokémon-Zoroark: Master of Illusions, at theaters located at the mall tour stops. The tour also features Pokémon character meet and greets with brand-new starter Pokémon Snivy™, Tepig™ and Oshawott™, a mall-wide scavenger hunt, a special Celebi™ character distribution at GameStop stores; plus contests, prizes, and much more! A Pokémon Center store offering merchandise will also be on-site.

“The anticipation for Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version has been palpable, and we are eager to introduce these fantastic new games to America,” said J.C. Smith, The Pokémon Company International’s director of Marketing. “We cannot wait to hit the road and give Pokémon fans an up-close and personal look at an all-new world of Pokémon in a fun, totally immersive environment.”

The Pokémon Black Version and White Version Tour will run every weekend through March 20th in the following cities:

February 5th and 6th:

• Seattle, WA (Westfield Southcenter, Seattle, WA)
• Cleveland, OH (Westfield SouthPark, Strongsville, OH)

February 12th and 13th:

• San Jose, CA (Westfield Oakridge, San Jose, CA)
• Memphis, TN (Wolfchase Galleria, Memphis, TN)

February 19th and 20th:

• Los Angeles, CA (Westfield Santa Anita, Arcadia, CA)
• Indianapolis, IN (Castleton Square, Indianapolis, IN)

February 26th and 27th:

• Denver, CO (Town Center at Aurora, Aurora, CO)
• Philadelphia, PA (Franklin Mills, Philadelphia, PA)

March 5th and 6th:

• New York, NY (Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ) (Actually Friday and Saturday, March 4th and 5th)
• Minneapolis, MN (Mall of America®, Bloomington, MN)

March 12th and 13th:

• Dallas, TX (Grapevine Mills, Grapevine, TX)
• Atlanta, GA (Discover Mills, Lawrenceville, GA)

March 19th and 20th:

• Phoenix, AZ (Arizona Mills, Tempe, AZ)
• Jacksonville, FL (Orange Park Mall, Orange Park, FL)

The mall tour kicks off a historic year for the Pokémon franchise that will introduce an all-new trading card game expansion, feature-length film, animated series, and merchandise. The multi-pronged rollout will thrust the Pokémon brand into the spotlight across its many entertainment offerings.