This past weekend, The Pokémon Company announced that the Pokémon World Championship would be held in summer of 2024 in Honolulu. But of course, Hawai’i has suffered severe wildfires raging across Maui for the past week, so the announcement prompted backlash from fans for being out of sync with the ongoing tragedy.
Now, in response, The Pokémon Company has stated that it will donate $200,000 to the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund while pledging its support to the people of Hawai’i affected by this natural disaster.
While no one is contesting the nobility of the move, some fans have nevertheless taken to social media to argue that TPC makes so much money that $200,000 is basically nothing and it could donate a whole lot more. It also comes on the heels of a general backlash toward tourism that lands in Hawai’i, with actor Jason Momoa (who is a native Hawaiian) urging people to recognize that now is not the time to take a vacation to the islands. Whether or not you agree that the company could be doing more, however, it’s still a positive gesture to the people suffering from a natural disaster.
— Play Pokémon @ #PokemonWorlds (@playpokemon) August 13, 2023
