In a move that reflects their enthusiasm for everything Pokémon, Union J have announced today that they will change their name to Union XY to mark the launch of the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y video games for Nintendo 3DS™, on October 12^th.

For one day only, Union J will celebrate the release of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y with their name change to Union XY—a suggestion made by band member George Shelley and supported by his band mates. The official press announcement was made today (October 4^th) at the Charlotte Street Hotel in London, where the band revealed the news to a packed press conference.

“We’ve always loved Pokémon and it was a massive part of my childhood, I’m hooked on it,” explained George. “When I was telling the rest of the band how excited I was about playing Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, the idea to change our name just came to me. It’s so cool to be part of the game in some way; it feels like a natural fit.”

To see the official images from the press conference and Union XY logo, click here http://pokemon.gamespress.com/releases/1363/union-j-celebrate-pokmon-x-pokmon-y-launch-with-radical-name-change-to?region=United%20Kingdom&lang=en.

Josh, Jaymi, George, and JJ are all fans of Pokémon and are familiar with each generation of Pokémon games. During the filming of the X Factor, Josh and George brought Nintendo DS™ systems to play Pokémon Black, JJ loves Pokémon Emerald, and Jaymi’s favourite game is Pokémon Crystal.

The official name change will happen on October 12^th, the same day as Pokémon X and Pokémon Y release exclusively on Nintendo 3DS.

For further updates on Union XY, take a look at their Twitter page: @UnionJWorld.
For more information about Pokémon X and Pokémon Y for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, including new images and gameplay video featuring information announced today, please visit Pokemon.co.uk/XY.

Be sure to check out Pokemon.co.uk, Like the official Pokémon Facebook page at Facebook.com/Pokemon, and follow Pokémon on Twitter @Pokemon to ensure you’re receiving the latest Pokémon X and Pokémon Y news!