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Pokémon Bank Game information Publisher: Nintendo Developer: The Pokémon Company Number of players: 1 Player Release dates: *

January 21, 2014 *

: December 25, 2013January 21, 2014 : February 5, 2014

: February 4, 2014

: N/A Platform: Nintendo 3DS

The Pokémon Bank (aka Poké Bank) is a Nintendo 3DS application that allows players to store their Pokémon on the Internet from Pokémon Black and White, Pokémon Black and White 2, Pokémon X and Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and Pokémon Sun and Moon, similar to the storage games Pokémon Box Ruby and Sapphire and My Pokémon Ranch. There is a total of 100 boxes available that could store up to 3,000 Pokémon. This software costs an annual fee of $4.99. Downloading this app comes with a free app called Poké Transporter an app to transfer previous generation Pokémon. If you run out of membership, and do not take your Pokémon out of your Bank, they will be sweeped (deleted) out of the server and will disappear forever. Nintendo advises the players to purchase a new membership "as quickly as possible". A legitimacy checker has been added to the application which checks for "illegal" or hacked Pokémon. If a Pokémon has been detected "illegal" the user will be banned from using the application.

Also, an update for the Pokémon Bank (Version 1.1) is required to use the software. The update fixes many bugs and glitches along with server stability patches. Instead of a download for the update, players must re-download the whole app to receive the update.

In outer regions of Asia, the update is pre-installed.

A free Celebi can be obtained for free for using the service. All you have to do is deposit a Pokémon to the application, then close the app, and relaunch it with using Pokémon Link.

Free Trial Period

There is a free trial period where players can use the app free of charge. Download and activate the app before the listed dates below:

Japan: January 21, 2014 to February 21, 2014 (Free Trial Ended)

Europe: February 4, 2014 to March 14, 2014 (Free Trial Ended)

North America: February 5, 2014 to March 14, 2014 (Free Trial Ended)

Issues

Some of the biggest news surrounding this application was the issues with release. The date for release was December 25 in Japan and December 27 for the Americas, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The application was made purchasable one the Japanese eShop as planned on December 25, but soon after their was a server crash because of a large number of people signing up for Nintendo Network ID's during the holiday season. When the servers came back up on December 29, the Pokémon Bank was gone from the Japanese eShop and still hadn't been released to any other country, although users who had already purchased the app could use it freely. It wasn't until January 21 that it was re-released in Japan, February 4 that it was released in Europe, and February 5th, It was released in the United States. This stirred up lots of anger surrounding the games because of the over-one-month-delay.