Ed Sheeran has trapped Pokémon a couple of times now. We last wrote about him and the critter-collecting coalition back in November 2021 when he performed six tracks inside Pokémon Go as part of a wider promotion that also included avatars clad in Sheeran-branded sweatshirts. This followed Katy Perry and Post Malone doing their own music partnerships with the game

Almost a year on and Sheeran is returning to the world of Pokémon for his new ‘Celestial’ track and video. The song will appear in the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games, which come out on 18th November.

This was not an in-game exclusive as the track is already available on DSPs, with the artwork featuring a drawing of Sheeran with Pikachu on his shoulder (branding is critical).

Sheeran is, by all accounts, a keen gamer and says the video for ‘Celestial’ was inspired by his love for Pokémon and some of its central characters such as the above-mentioned Pikachu as well as (according to the press release, at least) Squirtle, Machamp and Snorlax.

“I’ve played Pokémon since I was in primary school,” said Sheeran. “I loved the cards, but the games are what I lost myself in. I loved the whole world they created; it kept me distracted if there was negative stuff happening in my life/school that I wanted to avoid. It was a world I could escape into and I’ve played it ever since.”

He claims that, even though he’s now in his 30s, his old Game Boy Color is still operational and he takes it on tour with him.

The video for the track has “sketch”-themed art direction from Japanese Asian artist Yu Nagaba who previously collaborated with Pokémon on a limited-edition card game. The video, directed by Yuichi Kodama, “follows a typical day in Ed’s life with a Pokémon twist”.

Kenji Okubo, president of the Pokémon Company International said Sheeran’s “authentic love of everything Pokémon really shines through” and this is the core part of the collaboration. Any musician or celebrity could attach their name to Pokémon, cash the cheque and disappear; but if they are a genuine fan, that comes through.

Sheeran almost certainly doesn’t need the money, but he arguably craves an association with something he grew up with. Maybe all musicians should have to prove their childhood fandom before they are allowed to work on brand partnerships like these.