Now that Game Freak has seemingly wrapped up work on Pokémon Sword and Shield following the release of Crown Tundra at the tail end of 2020, fans are eagerly awaiting an announcement for the next mainline entry.
What that will end up being is anyone’s guess, of course, though the developer is certainly one of habit and if precedent is any indication, this year is likely to mark the arrival of either more remakes or casual spinoffs à la Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee. Assuming the former turns out to be correct, Gen IV games Diamond & Pearl are naturally believed to be next in line for a spit and polish, especially as 2014’s Gen III updates, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, remain the most recent. That being the case, then, a return to the Sinnoh region has long been top of many wish lists and what better way to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary is there than revisiting the past?
February has traditionally been the month when The Pokémon Company outlines its plans for the year ahead but not everyone is happy to wait any longer. Reddit user papabeard88, for example, has decided to rebuild Sinnoh brick by brick in Unreal Engine, and you can check out the gallery below for some awesome work in progress examples.
Unsurprisingly, this being a solo project means papabeard88 has so far only managed to recreate a small portion of Diamond & Pearl‘s map in Unreal Engine, including the starting town of Twinleaf and Route 201 – the first wild area players enter upon leaving the confines of their small village. A commendable effort, to say the least, and while this project is clearly far from being in a playable state, the concept at least gives fans an idea of what a truly next-gen Pocket Monster title could look like.
While we await official word from The Pokémon Company on that front, be sure to let us know what you’d like to see from this year’s installments in the usual place below!
