Splatoon to make Pokémon Red and Blue fans fight to the death

In honor of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue's 20th anniversary, Nintendo is holding a special event for Splatoon players and Pokémon diehards alike. Splatoon's incoming Splatfest — a themed, limited time-only, team-based competition — will ask fans to pick a side between the two Pokémon games and vote for their favorite of the pair.

The competition will begin Feb. 19 at 10 p.m. PT and run until Feb. 20 at 10 p.m. PT with votes now open in-game. Voting results will be revealed based on region, and Splatoon players will be matched up with others from their home countries.

Although Pokémon games have always been released in pairs with mostly superficial differences, like unique Pokémon and enemies, players often become devoted to their selections. Nintendo of America polled fans on its Twitter about which side they planned to take, and vigilant Pokémon fans have already sworn their loyalty to their favorite of the Game Boy games.

@BalrogGameRoom Blue is true.

(Jk, red)

— Austin Hargrave (@PeanutButterGmr) February 12, 2016

.@NintendoAmerica @Pokemon GO BLUE!!! pic.twitter.com/Lm1y7aJUUg

— Maria MsDBZbabe (@MsDBZbabe) February 12, 2016

Nintendo has begun to promote Pokémon's upcoming 20th birthday in its other games, too. Super Mario Maker received new Mystery Mushroom costumes based on the original Pokémon starters Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle yesterday, the company shared on Twitter.

On the big day itself, Feb. 27, the original Pokémon Game Boy games (Red and Blue, along with Yellow) will launch on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. Players can also look forward to legendary Pokémon downloads throughout the entirety of 2016, with a new one available each month.