Game Freak’s long-running Pokémon RPG series is due to make its first-ever debut on home consoles in less than a fortnight.
Set in the UK-inspired Galar region, Sword and Shield is home to all sorts of weird and wonderful Pokémon and gameplay features, including multiplayer raids and Gigantamaxing. The developer has been steadily revealing more details on those and more in the run-up to launch, though any secrets it still had left to share have since been leaked, thanks to early copies of the Switch exclusives finding their way into circulation.
Hype levels are (mostly, at least) at an all-time high, then, but some fans believe they’ve spotted the first hints of what lay ahead for the franchise once Sword and Shield have officially arrived. Reddit user Kfs520 believes that the current line-up of returning – or more specifically lack thereof – Pokémon from past generations in this year’s releases is indirect confirmation that more remakes are on the way.
No Pokemon from Sinnoh got a new form. There are lots of Gen V and VI Pokemon in the final Dex, but it excludes a lot of Gen IV Pokemon, including fan favorites like Garchomp.
There are also several iconic Gen 1 mons like Zubat and Geodude missing, which you’d find in Sinnoh (a bit of a stretch, but still…)
Should this mean something?
For those not aware of the implication outlined above, Kfs520 believes that, due to the near-total lack of representation from Diamond & Pearl, Game Freak is saving their return for dedicated remakes. Based on the leaks so far, Generation 4’s Sinnoh is the only region not to have fielded a Pokémon with an alternate Galarian form or Gigantamax transformation, glaring omissions that almost assuredly would be a conscious decision on the development team’s behalf.
It’s far, far too early to label the evidence above as anything but circumstantial, but it certainly falls in line with Game Freak’s track record of following a new generation with remakes. Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire were the last of their kind to be released in 2014, so Diamond & Pearl would certainly be the next logical step, especially as series producer Junichi Masuda has already ruled out sequels to last year’s Let’s Go! spinoffs.
Tell us, though, would you jump at the chance to revisit Sinnoh, or would you rather Game Freak focus its efforts on new adventures? Let us know in the usual place below!
