The last Pokémon Switch games

What Pokémon games could the Switch end on? 

Before we start: the Pokémon Presents 2024 has aired in all its glory. I've added an update at the very bottom of the page but have otherwise kept the rest the same. From now one, this article is a nice little time capsule. 

It's that time of year again: Pokémon Day is nearing and with that, a plethora of news on all things Pokémon. From new merchandise to info on the TCG etc. But most excitingly: the moment Pokémon Company has used the last few years to announce its upcoming games. In 2022 it was Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, while the Pokémon Presents held during Pokémon Day 2023 revealed the DLC to Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. The question in my mind now is: what could Pokémon Day 2024 bring? 

To be fair, my mind is full of ideas every year but I don't write them down every year. Not exciting enough I find. However, this year, I do think it's worth writing a piece about it. For one, Legends: Arceus and the different approaches to the Sinnoh remake have opened up things. Two, it's pretty clear that the end of the Switch is nearing. While Game Freak has released Pokémon games on the older console before, see Pokémon Black 2 & White 2, I'm not betting on them revealing a big game for the older Switch after its successor has launched. 

The way I see it, we have quite a few options for the last few ´core series´ Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch to be announced this year. Spin-off-wise, Pokémon is a lot more difficult to predict and not something I've been thinking about. 

So, let's dive into my thoughts and speculation for the next (few) big Pokémon games, starting with what everyone is expecting. 

Black and White remakes and Legends: Unova

That expected option is that Game Freak will do what they did last generation. Follow the same pattern of a new generation - DLC for those games - faithful remake - Legends game. 

Ever since the 3DS era, Pokémon games have followed a pattern. A new generation every 3 years, with a remake every generation. Generation 8 broke this pattern somewhat with the release of Legends: Arceus, but even then it was an addition rather than a change. Because Pokémon fans have become rather conditioned to think in patterns, it's very understandable that this is what a lot of people think will happen. 

It also helps that Legends: Arceus is a very good game that people really like and want to see more of. The faithful remake? Not so much. BDSP was a disappointment to many and is really only in the conversation because of the pattern thing. Since 'Yin White and Yang Black' would in this scenario be a very 1:1 remake of the originals with just a fresh coat of paint, I don't see any reason to discuss it further. Let's give that space to the Legends game, a title that I very much would like to see happen. 

The formula established in Legends: Arceus would translate very well to Unova as it has its own legend to explore. The legend of The Twin Heroes. Legends tell that these brothers once shared a powerful dragon, but they could not decide whether to pursue truth or ideals. To appease and stay with both brothers, the dragon split itself into multiple Pokémon. Into Reshiram, who follows the Hero of Truth, and into, Zekrom who went with the Hero of Ideals. From what remained behind, Kyurem was born. 

A Legends game set during this time period, for us to experience this conflict firsthand, would put a story at the heart of these games that people have been interested in for years. Or, at least, a story that is much more about this legend. If they stick to the the timeline, these brothers lived 2500 years ago so we must keep that in mind.

Credit: Game Rant

It would be the perfect opportunity to finally introduce this original Dragon Pokémon and see ruins such as Dragon Spiral Tower and Relic Castle in their full glory. Since Unova is based on the US of A, they could use its history as a reference for the culture, people and name of this ancient Unova. The latter would be handy in making a distinction between the ancient and modern Unova as they did with Hisui and Sinnoh.

And of course: I sincerely hope we will get new regional forms and evolutions. How I love those! Add in some new gameplay changes and additions, like any sequel naturally does, and I think you'll get a great Pokémon game that would build on the Legends formula. 

Another idea that I want to highlight comes from someone on Twitter. Someone whose tweet I didn't think to save and sadly can't find again. Sorry for that. Their idea was that instead of taking place in an ancient Unova, it would be set during an era inspired by the 1950's and have many of the tropes you're thinking about. They even have one of the starter Pokémon in mind: a regional form of Primarina based on a songstress. A unique idea that I don't think will ever actually happen, but fun enough I wanted to mention it. 

 

Paradox Black & White / Black & White 3

Related to all the Unova speculation is a bit of a curve ball. Pokémon Black & White are the only games to ever get traditional sequels: Pokémon Black 2 & White 2. Could we get another set of sequels? It's a possibility but not a likely one. Black 2 & White 2 are some of the worst-selling Pokémon titles at around 7.63 million units. I don't think those are sales numbers that tell Game Freak 'Let's do another sequel, but over a decade later when so many gamers don't even know what Black & White is all about'. 

What would be more likely is a remake that reimagines Pokémon Black & White. That takes place in Unova and sticks to the core narrative of N, Team Plasma and Zekrom/Reshiram but introduces a variety of additions and changes that could perhaps go beyond what previous remakes have done. 

I looked everywhere and sadly can't find it anymore, and thus take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt since I can be misremembering things, but I believe that a while back I read an interview with a Game Freak employee in which Black & White and remakes were brought up. He said that if they would remake these games, they'd more than likely include more than just the Unova Pokédex, alluding to one of the reasons that Black & White weren't so well received upon release. 

Addressing these issues would move the game out of the Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl 'faithful' territory and back to previous remake standards. Change up the Pokédex, and get Terastilization in there like ORAS did with Mega Evolution. Include/allude to elements about Unova introduced in later games such as Lacey and Drayton from The Indigo Disk. Add an epilogue to the story that, in this case, would be fitting to focus on stuff introduced in Black 2 & White 2. 

Maybe, maybe, they could push things a bit further by introducing regional forms that carry on the spirit behind the completely new Pokémon decision from the original and by reworking the map to be less angular and more open. 

That would make the development of the game more costly and intensive but would also be very exciting. 

Will they skip Unova entirely?

To be an advocate to Giratina here: what if all the Unova ties and easter eggs in the Indigo Disk aren't a part of this Black & White remake/Legends game? What if there is so much Unova love all across the Blueberry Academy because that's all we're going to get? Stuff like the fact that most standard Pokémon and legendary, including a mythical Pokémon, are catchable in the DLC just underscores to me that this is a potential approach. If a remake or Legends game is coming, why not keep them in the back pocket for those titles? It's what they've always done with the other remakes. 

Lastly, Pokémon has been doing quite a lot of stuff out of left field on the Switch. The Let's Go games (the Yellow-Pokémon Go hybrids to bring in those Go players), Pokémon now getting DLC, Legends: Arceus, remaking spin-offs and more. Why not add one more curve ball to that list by, at least for now, skipping Black & White entirely? 

This is a sentiment most Pokémon fans don't agree with when any of this comes up in conversation. Generation V has grown into a fan favourite but I find that this way of thinking makes a lot of sense. Enough that, as much as I love Black & White, this is the predominant thought I have about the near future of the franchise. 

If, so what could they do then? 

That leaves me with only one more point: if Unova is indeed skipped, what then? Honestly: who can tell? I can speculate based on hints, patterns rumours and whatnot all day long but for something truly unexpected? That´s hard to predict. Still, I want to throw some darts at the board. If only because I will have thrown them out there. 

An adventure in Johto has been a popular pick ever since the release of Let´s Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee. The games sold very well, over 15 million copies, and Johto is the next region in the lineup after all. We never got that game though, probably because GameFreak saw the title as an experiment that fulfilled its purpose. To be a stepping stone for the millions of Pokémon Go players to the core series games. As such, the 'Let's Go Johto' games faded from people's prediction list. Why is it back? Because of the many Johto ties the land of Kitakami has mostly and because, counting remakes, it's the region furthest away from us. 

Another option could be that instead of a Let´s Go Johto game, we could visit Johto in a different setting. Such as a Legends game. Call it ´Legends: Celebii', evolve the formula and maybe some other unique stuff like combining the Johto and Kanto maps and you can have another great title at your hands. 

Credit: Game Rant

My final dart is what I call "Pokémon Xz & Yz". If you skip Black & White remakes, what set of games would you end on? And what set of games never got a third version, or a remake, or DLC or anything like that? Pokémon X & Y. Giving those games another chance to shine in either a remake that includes elements that would've been in a Pokémon Z if it ever had come out or would more or less a sequel to those games would be quite an interesting curve-ball with the potential to be another fresh Pokémon experience. 

We would also get Mega Evolutions back. A broken, but still missed gimmick. Rework it a bit, like introduce 'Mega-Energy' that can power up each Pokémon like Mega Evolution, make it the Dynamax to the Mega's Gigantamax, and I think you can rebalance that gimmick and make it more workable. And introduce some more Mega forms while they're at it, like Mega Froslass.  

Final thoughts

So those are my ideas and speculation for what might still be in the tank for Pokémon on the Switch. If the 'Switch 2' indeed releases this year, then I imagine that with this series' yearly release schedule, I think we will get at least two more core Pokémon releases on the Switch. Perhaps those two games will be on this list, perhaps not. 

Perhaps we won't get any new game this year at all. I doubt it since Pokémon has been a yearly franchise for years now but I honestly wouldn't mind if they would skip a year. If they would take a year off and use that time to further develop the next entry to improve the quality of that title. No more technical nightmares that are Scarlet & Violet, please. 

Whatever happens, we'll have to wait for Pokémon Day to roll around and see what it has in store for us. 

Update: Pokemon Legends: A-Z is announced

What was in store for us was a brand-new Legends game, and I'm so happy!

 

Legends: Arceus is my favourite Pokémon game from the last few years and I'm glad Game Freak is continuing this sub-series. Going back to Kalos, a favourite of mine, and bringing Mega Evolution back into the fold. I have some slight concerns though, even with the the extra time Game Freak is giving itself with that 2025. 

There's no confirmation of a past setting, which I very much enjoyed about Legends: Arceus and the inclusion of Mega Evolutions will most likely mean that we won't be getting any regional forms. The new Pokémon will be the new Mega Evolutions. 

Some promotional wording also seems to imply that the entire game will take place within Lumiose City but Yo-Kai Watch made such a thing work so we'll see how Game Freak does it. How big and varied the map will be. 

Still, those are small worries at a time we know very little. All in all, I'm happy with this reveal and am eagerly awaiting to learn more.