Well known for launching in Japan and contributing to a Nintendo Network meltdown over the festive period in 2013, Pokémon Bank is a key part of current-gen Pokémon gaming for some; for a small annual fee it allows you to store 'mon online and transfer them between games. Somewhat subtly, The Pokémon Company has now announced that there's a delay in the next evolution of the service.

Originally an update was expected in late Fall / Autumn to add support for the Virtual Console releases - Red, Blue and Yellow in the West - in addition to the upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon. Though the Gen 1 downloads have now been out for a number of months, it's now confirmed that the update for those games (and Sun / Moon) is expected in January 2017. This wasn't announced as such, but quietly stated in the description for the video below on the official Pokémon Japanese channel; the actual video is a re-upload.

It's always disappointing to see delays like this, especially as it looks set to miss the launch of Sun and Moon. Nevertheless, hopefully the extra time will ensure a smooth launch for the updated version of the service.

Update:

Some further information is available on how the Bank will work with the Virtual Console games. According to Serebii, Gen 1 Pokémon will get into the Pokémon Bank via Poké Transporter, and won't be transferable to Gen VI games. Also, the Bank update will a include a "special mode to view the Pokédex".