Good news, a new Pokemon Center is officially open! And of course, the bad news is, it was opened in Taiwan. On its Facebook page (via AllGamesDelta), 7-Eleven Taiwan announced that it had remodeled one of its chains into a Pokemon-themed store.
According to my deep understanding of the Chinese language through the use of an ancient technique of Google Translate, the 7-Eleven Pokemon store is located at Fuzhong Gate near Fuzhong Metro Station, 82 Fuzhong Road, Banqiao District, New Taipei City. You can’t miss the spot since, as seen above, even before stepping in inside the building, the whole front part of the store is already plastered with everything Pokemon. Just look at that goofy Pikachu face on the most right pillar.
And once you’re inside, you will be greeted by hundreds of other creatures from top to bottom—Grookey, Alolan Exeggutor, Meowth, Galarian Ponyta, you name it. And looking up at the ceiling, there is a lone Eternatus, one of Sword and Shield‘s legendary, watching over us. Over on the Facebook page, it’s said that there are “808 Pokemon printed” on the store wall, allowing fans to play Where’s Waldo with their favorite monster on it.
In the middle of the store, Pokeball chairs surround wide tables that showcase a selection of Pokemon cards inside of them. And talking about cards, there is also a bunch of paraphernalia you can get your hands on from Pokemon plushes, lunch boxes, trading cards, motorcycle helmets, and cotton bags.
The 7-Eleven Pokemon Center store also provides its customers with popular Pokemon Ga-Ole arcade machines and an official Switch demo booth where you can play Sword and Shield to help them “immerse in the world of Pokemon.” Considering drinks and snacks are readily accessible as well (it is still a convenience store, after all), this is definitely the best place to hang out, pull out your Switch, trade, or battle Pokemon with your friends.
This is not the first time Nintendo “invaded” a popular chain in Taiwan. Last year, IKEA Taiwan also had a collaboration with one of Nintendo’s properties, Animal Crossing. The company released its 2021 catalog using screenshots from Animal Crossing: New Horizon, with the game’s characters and items replacing its furniture.
Once the pandemic has died down, I think Pokemon fans owe them a visit to this brand new 7-Eleven Pokemon paradise, don’t you think?
