You Don’t Have to Worry About Pokemon Collaborating With Ed Sheeran Again

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Despite a successful collaboration with Ed Sheeran on the song “Celestial” for *Pokemon Scarlet and Violet*, Game Freak has implemented a new policy that seems to end such partnerships. It appears *Pokemon Scarlet and Violet* will be the last *Pokemon* game to include a dedicated insert song, as Game Freak rejected a request from The Pokemon Company to create another song for *Pokemon Legends: Z-A*.

Game Freak recently updated its policies while fans are actively discussing leaked details about future Pokemon games. These leaks showed potential concepts for the next generation, tentatively called Pokemon Winds and Waves, which appear to be set in a region inspired by Indonesia and other islands in Southeast Asia. However, since The Pokemon Company hasn’t confirmed any of this information, fans should view these leaks with caution.

Pokemon Puts the Kibosh on Allowing Insert Songs in Future Games

Good news for Pokémon fans worried about licensed music in the games! According to leaked internal documents shared by Pokémon leaker Centro, Game Freak has updated its policy to generally avoid using full songs by popular artists in their games. While *Pokémon Scarlet and Violet* featured Ed Sheeran’s “Celestial” as the ending credits song, a request to include another song in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* was turned down. This change comes after some Pokémon streamers received copyright strikes on Twitch for playing “Celestial” during their broadcasts.

Some players of *Pokemon Scarlet and Violet* used a mod to remove the song “Celestial” from the game in an attempt to avoid copyright strikes during the credits. While this mod appeared shortly after the game’s release, it required players to alter their Nintendo Switch consoles, which isn’t easy and carries risks. Since Nintendo can disable any modified Switch console, the updated *Pokemon* policy should offer some peace of mind to content creators.

Recent policy changes also clarified that The Pokémon Company (TPC) needs Game Freak’s approval before creating official Pokémon artwork, except for certain events. Game Freak also announced that Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) cards won’t be included with physical copies of any Pokémon video games. It’s currently unclear how long these new rules will stay in effect.

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2025-10-15 23:32