When it comes to uber-popular mobile apps there are names that literally everyone will recognize. Both Snapchat and Pokemon Go are among them, and a combination of the two is like some kind of ultra-powerful app plutonium, capable of ruining productivity and concentration in a way never before experienced by man. Now, thanks to a timely partnership between the ephemeral messaging app and The Pokemon Company, that end-of-days scenario is actually upon us, because you can now turn yourself into Pikachu using a Snapchat filter.
Take a selfie with Pikachu! 📸⚡️Our Pikachu Lens is available now on Snapchat for a limited time: https://t.co/hOCWNkQWmB pic.twitter.com/GX8mY7hPYI
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) August 14, 2017
The new filter — which does a bit of fancy photo manipulation to squish your cheeks inward and paint them red, along with adding the classic pikachu ears — should automatically appear in your Snapchat app when you open it, and doesn’t require any manual updating.
With how insanely popular Pokemon Go has been ever since its debut a little over a year ago, it’s actually somewhat surprising that it’s taken this long for either Snapchat or Facebook to secure a coveted cross-promotional deal like this. At the same time, it’s obviously a huge win for Snapchat, as The Pokemon Company hasn’t done all that much in the way of app partnerships.
No word on whether additional Pokemon characters will be appearing in the app in the coming days or weeks, but the sure-fire popularity of this new filter will make it mighty hard for either of the companies involved to ignore the incredible number of possibilities. As for me, I’ll be waiting for the MewTwo filter.
