2020 has been somewhat of a strange year for Pokémon.
For the first time, Game Freak has opted to skip out on an annual release for the franchise, preferring instead, to focus on delivering new content for last year’s Sword and Shield. So far, just two post-launch expansions – Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra – have been confirmed for the Switch exclusives, the first of which was released back in June. Crown Tundra, on the other hand, has yet to receive a firm release date but is expected to arrive sometime in November. Whether the developer has plans for more DLC following that remains to be seen, though many Pokéfans are hoping that 2021 will finally be the year that Game Freak delivers some long-awaited remakes.
Following on 2014’s Alpha Ruby & Omega Sapphire, Gen IV pair Diamond & Pearl are logically the next in line to get their own reimagining, though we’ve heard next to nothing from official sources regarding their existence. YouTuber RuffledRowlit, however, has stumbled upon new leaks seemingly discovered on 4Chan that claim to have inside knowledge of exactly that.
The anonymous individual says that Sword and Shield‘s D-Max and G-Max mechanics will be introduced to the Sinnoh region when it returns (presumably on Switch), even going so far as to list off several Pokémon that will have access to the form-changing ability. Without a source to speak of, it’s impossible to verify the validity of these latest rumors, though it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that 4Chan has been responsible for letting the cat out of the bag early.
Near to the entirety of Sword and Shield‘s Pokédex was leaked on the site prior to their official release, after all, so we won’t rule out this one as a hoax just yet. Regardless, even if what we’ve learned is true, it’ll be some time yet before Game Freak is ready to talk about its next big project, so we’ll just have to sit on this one for the time being.