Pokémon Bank

The logo of Pokémon Bank.

Provider

Nintendo

Launched

Varies:

Japan: December 25, 2013^[1]
North America: December 27, 2013^[2]
Australia: December 27, 2013^[3]
Europe: December 27, 2013^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]
Korea: December 25, 2013 ^[9]

Shutdown

{{{shutdown}}}

Service provided

Online Pokémon storage

Accessible by

Nintendo 3DS (XL, 2DS)

Website

http://www.pokemonbank.com/en-us/ (English)

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Articles relating to Pokémon Bank

The Pokémon Bank (Japanese: ポケモンバンク Pokémon Bank) is a downloadable online application for the Nintendo 3DS that will be available for the Nintendo eShop. It will serve as a complement to Pokémon X and Y and the Pokémon Storage System.

Due to server expenses, use of the software will require the payment of an annual fee. This fee will be ¥500 in Japan, $4.99 in the United States, £4.99 in the United Kingdom, €4,49 in Europe, $6.50 in Australia, and $8.50 in New Zealand. There is a free 30-day trial, which can be instated until January 31, 2014.^[1] An Internet connection is required to download and use the service.

Features

Pokémon Storage

Pokémon Bank being used in a copy of Pokémon X

The main feature of Pokémon Bank is the possibility of players depositing up to 3000 Pokémon from the games in an online cloud. The referred cloud will work as a PC, and will have 100 Boxes capable of carrying, like in a normal PC, 30 Pokémon each. Boxes can also be categorized into groups (with a maximum of 10 groups), and the player can customize the name of each group. The service will feature extensive search options and filters, allowing the player to locate deposited Pokémon. Pokémon from Generation V can be transferred to the service individually, or entire Boxes can be transferred at once.

Brigette (the host of Pokémon Box Ruby and Sapphire) maintains the Pokémon Bank service. She gives the player 100 Poké Miles when Pokémon are deposited into Pokémon Bank, although the player can also opt to receive rewards in the form of Battle Points instead. Poké Miles are awarded for the length of time that a given Pokémon is deposited into Pokémon Bank. The amount of Poké Miles earned by the player increases if more Pokémon are deposited into Pokémon Bank. Both Poké Miles and Battle Points are sent to Pokémon X and Y using the in-game option called Pokémon Link.

Pokémon that are holding Berries or other items cannot be deposited into Pokémon Bank, and it is advised to return any held items to the Bag prior to depositing Pokémon. If the player attempts to deposit Pokémon that are holding Berries or other items, the items will be removed and sent to the player's Bag. Items held by Pokémon being deposited into Pokémon Bank will disappear if the player's bag is full.

Pokémon that evolve via trading will not evolve if sent to Pokémon Bank.

Any number of physical or digital copies of Pokémon X and Y can be used in conjunction with the service. Pokémon Bank can be utilized at any point after the player obtains the Pokédex in Pokémon X and Y. The service cannot be used if a new game in Pokémon X and Y has not been started. If a player owns multiple copies of Pokémon Bank on different Nintendo 3DS systems, Pokémon cannot be transferred between those Pokémon Banks.

Pokémon Bank accounts are tied to the user's Nintendo Network ID, which cannot be used across multiple Nintendo 3DS systems. While Pokémon X and Y are region-locked themselves, Pokémon Bank can still communicate with an XY Game Card of any region when it is inserted into a Nintendo 3DS, although Nintendo does not make any guarantee for the performance of software or systems in the Nintendo 3DS family when used outside of their intended regions.

When Pokémon Bank (along with Poké Transporter) is downloaded, any restrictions on the Nintendo 3DS system for Shopping Services need to be removed within the Parental Controls before Pokémon Bank can be utilized. Any restrictions set in place pertaining to usage of the Nintendo 3DS's Internet browser also require removal each time that the Pokémon Bank software is used.

After the expiration of the aforementioned trial period, Pokémon in Pokémon Bank can still be withdrawn (without an annual pass) for a set period of time before the Pokémon are lost.

Poké Transporter

Main article: Poké Transporter

After the download of Pokémon Bank, it is possible to use a separately downloaded application, the Poké Transporter, to transfer Pokémon from Generation V games to the cloud. After this, it is possible to complete such migration by simply downloading them to the Generation VI game.

Additionally, the migration of certain Pokémon from Generation V via Pokémon Bank will trigger the availability of certain items within Pokémon X and Y. The transfer of Kyurem and Genesect allows the DNA Splicers and the Drives, respectively, to become available within X and Y.