Snapchat’s New Pikachu Filter Is Actually Quite Cute

Youth-centric social media network Snapchat recently launched new filters involving some fairly cute critters. As per the service’s other offerings, these are actually quite great, with the Pikachu options drawing a lot of attention in particular. Not only is the filter incredibly cute, it also offers some fairly interesting features. With the platform losing ground to Instagram Stories, this is necessary.

Just to make this development more interesting, not to mention more relevant to fans of the Pokémon franchise, Snap Inc. actually partnered with The Pokémon Company in order to make it happen. That’s why it’s not really all that surprising that the resulting lens is faithful to the iconic mascot of the IP but also that it does some frankly cool stuff as described by Snap.

“For a limited time, The Pokémon Company International and Snap Inc. have partnered to launch a custom Pikachu Snapchat Lens. Fans who use the Lens will see Pikachu's ears, nose, and bright-red cheeks appear over their own face. Then, they can open their mouth to hear Pikachu's iconic voice as it jumps onto the screen and strikes a pose,” Snap said about the new filter.

As Forbes notes, this is basically another example of Nintendo’s attempt at expanding its influence, tapping into other platforms. Considering the remarkable influence that the Pokémon property has on the public as well as the substantial brand loyalty that Nintendo enjoys, Snap certainly made the right decision here.

More to the point, this is a good move on the part of Snap because, if it doesn’t do something to reinvigorate its brand soon, its once-stellar IPO is going to suffer. The company’s stock prices have been in steep decline ever since Instagram Stories started showing Snapchat up in terms of the number of users it has been getting. If Snap can make this partnership with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company work, it has a chance at bouncing back.