After releasingPokemon ScarletandVioletas well asPokemon Legends: Arceusin 2022,Pokemon’s current year has been considerably more subdued.Detective Pikachu Returnsis the year’s major newPokemongame release, andPokemon ScarletandVioletare scheduled to receive both parts of their Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC by the holiday season. Some other things like thePokemon HOME’s Generation 9 integration and the long-awaited launch ofPokemon Sleepare also part of 2023, but on the whole, it seems it won’t be a particularly memorable year forPokemon.
2024 is a different matter entirely. The future is a fairly large question mark for bothPokemonand Nintendo as a whole, with rumors of a Nintendo Switch successor still swirling about. It could be agreat chance forPokemonto redeem itselfas many of its Switch entries have suffered from technical issues that might be smoothed out on stronger hardware. That’s not to say thatPokemon’s next mainline entries will be ready in 2024 or that the franchise will soon go all-in on a new console, but judging by previousPokemonrelease schedules, it could still be a big year for fans.
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Multiple Mainline Pokemon Games Could Land In 2024
There have only ever been three or four years in between eachPokemongeneration, and 2024 marks the approximate halfway point between where the franchise tends to deploy a remake. Having become part ofPokemon’s rotation since Generation 3’sFireRedandLeafGreen, these remakes have taken on someunexpected forms in recent years withPokemon Let’s Go!andBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl.
This has left fans concerned over whether thePokemonGeneration 5 remakes will be handled in the same underwhelming fashion thatBDSPwere, but they could be handled like past remakes or be replaced byPokemon Let’s Go!versions of Generation 2’s games. Speaking of titles set in Johto, 2024 may also have room for the nextPokemon Legendsentry.
It’s not clear yet if Game Freak intends to make a series out ofLegends, but after visiting Generation 4’s past throughLegends: Arceus, time traveling with Celebi may be next. Even if that doesn’t pan out either, the leastPokemonfans can expect for 2024 is therumored visual upgrades forPokemon ScarletandVioletsaid to coincide with a new Switch model. If that model is a Switch 2, there’s a chance that those games, and other SwitchPokemonentries, could receive remastered releases on the new console.
Pokemon Spin-Offs Are Sure To Accompany 2024
That’s it for Game Freak’s output, but there are plenty of other studios that likely havePokemonspin-offs in the works. Again judging by release schedules, at least one high-profilePokemonspin-off should appear during 2024. There are no hints at what this could be, but aside from something completely new, several suspects spring to mind. Spike Chunsoft might be ready to releaseits nextPokemon Mystery Dungeongame, which many hope to be a remake of the fan-favoriteExplorers of Sky.
WithRescue Team DX’s framework already done, that title could have been finished between 2020 and 2024, but a couple of other common spin-off categories could also see entries in the upcoming year. It’s been three years sincePokemon Cafewas released and about two since it was updated toCafe ReMix, so now is a good time to announce another smallPokemondiversion.
Of greater note is the Pokemon Company’s close relationship with Bandai Namco in recent years, putting out titles likethePokken Tournamentseriesand 2021’sNew Pokemon Snap. While selling less than Game FreakPokemontitles, these have all gathered small but dedicated fanbases. Bandai Namco may have something else ready for thePokemonfranchise, and 2024 should ensure it doesn’t launch alone.
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