Pokémon‘s 25th anniversary won’t just be celebrated with the release of new entries in the core RPG series.
Barring those that fans already know about such as New Pokémon Snap, prolific leaker Dark Ho-Oh believes fresh installments in the casual-friendly Let’s Go spinoff franchise are on course to arrive in the not-too-distant future. According to the Twitter user, Let’s Go Catching will be announced during an upcoming Direct presentation ahead of Pokémon Day on February 27th, but what exactly this will entail, they don’t say. Given that 2018’s Let’s Go, Pikachu and Eevee were modern day remakes of the original Red & Blue with altered mechanics, though, it’s safe to assume that any sequel will follow suit chronologically, meaning Gen II’s Johto region (i.e. Gold & Silver) would be next in line to get similar treatment.
Welcome if unexpected news, then, but where exactly does that leave Game Freak’s long-rumored Diamond & Pearl remakes?
Fortunately, Dark Ho-Oh says that a return to Sinnoh is still on the cards and that reimaginings of the Gen IV titles are scheduled to be announced alongside Let’s Go Catching to ensure that all corners of the fandom are accounted for. The unconfirmed Direct live stream will supposedly air later this week with an announcement to come soon, so Trainers at least won’t have to wait long to find out if Dark Ho-Oh’s reports prove to be true.
Whatever happens, Pokémon fans can take comfort in the fact that more birthday celebrations are inbound shortly, if not courtesy of Nintendo as a host, then as part of a virtual concert featuring Post Malone due to air this weekend. For everything you need to know about the latter, including start times and fixtures, see here.