2016 has been a massive year for Pokemon as a franchise. This week Pokemon Sun and Moon, the latest entries in the main series, have launched to critical and commercial acclaim (unless you’re in Europe, in which case you’ll still have an agonising two day wait to try them out), and the brand’s general prevalence has skyrocketed as a result of the 20th anniversary promotional push that Nintendo have championed over the past year. However, it’s Pokemon GO (Free) which will likely be seen as the high point of this major year for Nintendo, as the high point of 45 million players during the summer was phenomenal, and brought both hardcore fans, and people who may have never played a video game before, together in an unprecedented scale. To celebrate the incredible past few months for Pokemon GO, Niantic are holding a special celebration within the game, whereby for a week from November 23rd, all experience and stardust earned will be doubled.

Despite such spectacular success over the past five months, it hasn’t necessarily been the smoothest of rides for Pokemon GO players. At launch, the game was plagued with server issues, and later faced backlash over its removal of the in-game tracking system, in accordance with Niantic’s zero-tolerance policy in regards to third party alternatives. However, with second-generation Pokemon (alongside that elusive Ditto) apparently on the horizon, the future looks bright for a game which is still consistently near the summit of the Top Grossing charts. If you’re still on your Pokemon GO journey, or even if you have not played the game for a while, this week is a fantastic chance to put on your cap and become a Pokemon Master – just make sure you play between November 23rd and November 30th to make the most of this thank you present from Niantic.