Union J Become Union XY to Celebrate Pokémon Launch

LONDON, October 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Union J are today officially changing their name to Union XY - for one day only - to celebrate the launch of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y which is out now (October 12^th) on Nintendo 3DS.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131011/644410-a )
     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131011/644410-b )

The band announced their intentions at a recent press conference during which they revealed that band member George Shelley, a lifelong Pokémon fan, had suggested the idea to the rest of the band. He was also instrumental in the design of the Union XY logo, which they created especially to mark the band's renaming today.

During the filming of the last season of X Factor the Union J boys were noted for passing the time by playing Pokémon; band member Josh was even known to hide in the little boys' room to extend his playing time.

"We all love Pokémon and are so excited that the wait for Pokémon X and Pokémon Y is finally over: we're going to spend a lot of time battling each other when we go on tour," said band member Jaymi.

George added: "We wanted to do something awesome to celebrate the game's launch today, and changing our name to Union XY for the day was the ultimate tribute."

To view the official video from the press conference please click here: http://youtu.be/YlaDdR6-bzQ

The official Union J to Union XY name change will happen today, the same day as Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are released exclusively on Nintendo 3DS.

For further updates on Union XY take a look at their official Twitter site: @UnionJWorld

For more information about Pokémon X and Pokémon Y for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, including new images and gameplay video, please visit Pokemon.co.uk/XY.

Editorial Notes:

Union J's second single, "Beautiful Life", is due for release on 20^th October.  

Debut, self-titled, album to be released on 28^th October.

For all Union J press enquiries, please contact Sarah Hall: Sarah.Hall@sonymusic.com

For all Pokémon X and Pokémon Y enquiries please contact Emily Britt: e.britt@pokemon.com

Lauren Dillon, +44(0)207-292-6438, Lauren.Dillon@premiercomms.com