Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are launching the first chapter of the Expansion Pass for Pokémon Pokopia this week, marking a major update to one of the franchise's biggest recent releases. Pokopia, a cozy life-simulator spin-off that departed from the series' usual catching-and-battling formula, proved unexpectedly popular after launching earlier this year, and this new content represents the first of several planned expansions to the game.

The paid downloadable content takes players beneath the waves, with an underwater setting central to the new chapter, alongside a substantial free update available to all players that significantly expands the base game. This is the first of three planned instalments in the Expansion Pass, with further paid and free content expected to follow.