'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Pokemon Company and world-renowned recording artist Ed Sheeran have collaborated once again, resulting in Sheeran's new song Celestial, which was released on September 29, 2022. Sheeran's fans were already quite excited for the song's release, but the developers of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet at Game Freak announced an extra twist.
Community site Serebii.net made a post stating that Celestial would be the first song implemented into the mainline series that has lyrics. The song is slated to trigger at some point during the gameplay of Scarlet and Violet, though it is still unclear as to where. Due to the song being Sheeran's love letter to the series, it's highly unlikely that it will simply be thrown into a given area wantonly.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Why Celestial is such a huge deal for the upcoming Switch titles
The Pokemon Company has previously collaborated with the music artist (Pokemon GO had an exclusive in-game Ed Sheeran concert late last year), but placing his music physically into a mainline game is a huge step for the franchise. Up until now, all of the music utilized in the main games has been purely instrumental or has included vocal work without lyrical content. Celestial's debut in Scarlet and Violet will signal a new direction for the series, and it is one that could very well continue in future titles.
Although not every Pokemon fan is necessarily a fan of Ed Sheeran, the artist's popularity and love for the series could be a boon for the games. Specifically, fans of Sheeran who otherwise may not have been interested in the games may pick up Scarlet and Violet to hear the song in the game or experience why Sheeran has such an appreciation for the games.
According to a community leaker named Centro Leaks, Celestial will appear towards the end of the game. They also mentioned that the end of the game would be quite an emotional experience.
The leaks provided by Centro seem to make sense, since simply throwing Sheeran's new track into a random location or battle wouldn't have much of an impact. However, placing it towards the end of Scarlet and Violet's story, especially with an emotional underpinning, could evoke a very strong response from the player base. Only time will tell if this is the case, but Sheeran's track undoubtedly has more than a few fans looking forward to November 18, 2022, when Scarlet and Violet hit stores.
Longtime fans in the past have been critical of Game Freak for what they consider to be underwhelming graphics or gameplay, but Celestial's inclusion signals a clear step forward. The potential backlash is nearly minimal, and the Scarlet/Violet titles have plenty to gain from appealing to the fanbase of one of the most popular music artists alive today.
