Pokémon’s English social account compromised to promote a memecoin

The Pokémon Company’s English X account was briefly compromised, and the intruder used it to promote a cryptocurrency token dressed up as a 30th-anniversary celebration. The post was deleted, the company’s response was also later removed, and fans were left wondering whether Team Rocket had finally discovered social-media management.

What’s actually going on: Kotaku and IGN reported that the English Pokémon account published a now-deleted post promoting a memecoin. The post claimed the cryptocurrency was connected to Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, but there is no indication that the promotion was authorised by The Pokémon Company.

The company later said the account had been “compromised earlier for ~30 minutes” and accessed without authorisation. According to the statement, the intruder used the account to publish cryptocurrency promotions, none of which were created or approved by Pokémon. The company said the posts had been removed, the account secured and an investigation opened.

That statement has itself been removed, and as of the reported publication time The Pokémon Company had not issued a further update. The incident should therefore be treated as an account compromise, not a legitimate Pokémon product, partnership or anniversary promotion. Anyone who interacted with the token or sent money should rely on official platform and financial-safety guidance rather than social-media claims.

The timing created an especially amusing coincidence. The incident occurred during the Team Rocket Base event at ZeroBase Shibuya, which ran from 25 to 31 August. The event transformed the venue with the villains’ red “R” branding and Team Rocket-themed rooms, but it had no connection to the cryptocurrency post.

Why you should care: verified social accounts are often treated as official press channels, which makes them attractive targets for scams. A post can look authentic for the few minutes it takes to spread across fan communities, while deletion does not undo screenshots, reposts or transactions. The episode is a reminder to be suspicious of sudden token promotions, even when they appear on a famous brand’s account.

The Pokémon Company’s account was reportedly secured after the incident, but no further technical explanation has been provided. There is also no confirmed information about how access was obtained or whether users’ personal data was affected.

Our opinion

Pokémon launching a memecoin would have been a remarkable plot twist, but this was just a compromised account wearing a Pikachu hat. The quick removal and security response are welcome; the deleted statement and lack of follow-up leave fans with unanswered questions. Until The Pokémon Company says otherwise, treat every sudden Pokémon crypto pitch as suspicious — even if Team Rocket’s branding is only coincidental.