It’s Thanksgiving and time for the Macy’s Parade in New York. After float upon float showing various things, in comes a familiar yellow friend. Multiple Pikachu have come and started dancing to celebrate Thanksgiving. However, at the end, something is uncovered... the Pokémon 25th anniversary logo. That’s right, it’s almost Pokémon’s 25th anniversary!
So, as we approach 2021 and this momentous occasion, let’s think about what Pokémon fans the world over might have to look forward to in the coming year.
A Look Back – Pokémon20
Just five years ago was the Pokémon 20th Anniversary celebrations (that's right, we did the math). It feels like almost yesterday and also a lifetime ago. What exactly did we get during that year?
In the West, the celebrations went full on and we had a “Mythical Year”. Each month during 2016, there was a celebration of a Mythical Pokémon with distributions for Pokémon X & Y/Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, as well as TCG products and merchandise. The main games were building towards the start of the 7th generation with Pokémon Sun & Moon and Pokémon GO hit right in the middle and brought PokéMania back to the forefront in a mainstream manner not seen since the late '90s. It made Pokémon truly a household name again. It was a great way to celebrate two decades of the series, but the question now is: How can the 25th anniversary possibly match it? Let’s look at some possibilities point-by-point.
Main Series Pokémon Games?
Main series games are always the focus for fans, the driving force of the franchise. They dictate how the next three or four years progress. However, unlike the 20th anniversary, this year we are in the middle of the eighth generation and it’s unlikely we’d be building up to the next one. With Pokémon Sword & Shield being the best selling Pokémon games this side of the year 2000, we should think about how Game Freak and The Pokémon Company can follow it up.
Enhanced versions are no longer on the table and have been replaced with DLC, so that leaves a remake of a previous game (a new Let's Go! version of the Gen II Johto games seems like a no-brainer, at least from a business perspective) or something entirely new but still running on the same engine as Sword & Shield.
The fan community thinks Diamond & Pearl remakes are next, and have been thinking it since 2017. Will this year be the time it happens? We must also remember that Game Freak do like to surprise us, so the possibilities are endless!
Spin-off Games
There are four different spin-off titles that we know of in development at the time of writing, and several of them are likely to hit in 2021.
First up is the Nintendo Switch title, New Pokémon Snap. This is the sequel and follow-up to the much beloved 1999 Nintendo 64 classic. While we don’t know much about what it will contain, it’s highly likely we’ll be getting this game during Pokémon’s 25th anniversary year.
Pokémon Sleep is a mobile game that got unveiled in 2018 that is one of the most enigmatic games we can even conceive of. Details are very scarce for this game but the concept of it is to track your sleep utilising the Pokémon GO Plus + and to use it to interact with and catch Pokémon. It’s possible that development of the game has stopped (it was originally supposed to launch this year) which is why we’ve heard nothing since, but it is possible it will come out and could even be — wait for it — a sleeper hit.
Also revealed in 2018 was Detective Pikachu '2' on the Nintendo Switch. When it was announced, it was clear that it was early in development (it didn't even have an official name yet), so whether it will be ready in 2021 is a valid question. With the movie based on its 3DS predecessor being a massive success, it’s certainly a game to look forward to.
There’s also a very contentious game that is likely to come out next year. Pokémon UNITE is a mobile and Switch title developed by TiMi Studios & The Pokémon Company and has you play with four other players against another team of five in a huge battle arena game. With Pokémon being the largest media franchise in the world and MOBAs being the biggest video game genre in the world, the game arguably has the potential to hit Pokémon GO heights of engagement and activity, especially in the markets in Asia. However, the game’s reveal in the West did not go down well for a variety of reasons, so whether it will be able to break through in all territories remains to be seen.
Existing games such as Pokémon Masters EX, Pokémon Café Mix and Pokémon GO will also likely have various events to celebrate the 25th anniversary. Pokémon GO just announced one for February, the Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto event where you can catch all Kanto Pokémon in the day and complete research to get a Shiny Mew.
There are definitely going to be things going on in these titles during the celebration year, and — who knows — we could get some surprises there, too.
Anime & Movies
Pokémon Journeys is continuing onwards in Japan and it in itself feels like a full celebration of the franchise with Ash & Goh going to various regions in the Pokémon World in their stories. Whether or not it’ll have any celebratory episodes with old characters remains unclear.
In terms of movies, the events of this past year have potentially changed things up. 2020’s movie, Secrets of the Jungle, is only coming out in Japan on December 25th 2020, and we’ll undoubtedly get it in 2021. The next question is, will the 2021 movie be still on-track? Will Japan get it in Summer 2021 or will it be delayed? Only time will tell.
Pokémon Trading Card Game
Pokémon itself is not the only thing celebrating the 25th anniversary. 2021 is also the 25th anniversary of Pokémon Trading Card Game. For the 20th anniversary there were two sets that focused on the past: Generations was a set focused on Kanto Pokémon, while Evolutions provided reprints of many of the original cards brought up to the new power levels of the game. We already know that in February, one week before the 25th anniversary, we’ll get Shining Fates, the latest set built around Shiny Pokémon. Besides that, will we see a bespoke 25th anniversary set? Some retailer listings imply that we will but they're often unreliable so it’s hard to say at this point.
Lovely Pokémon Merchandise
Merch is the area where it’s going to get interesting. Typically, Pokémon merchandise is focused towards the younger audience with plush, toys and so forth, although over the past few years, we’ve been getting more and more adult apparel and recently, a new merchandise line was announced; a premium Poké Ball replica in conjunction with the Wand Company available Pokémon Day (27th February) for $100. This indicates we may get more premium merchandise for the older audience in addition to the products for younger Poké fans.
So with all that in mind, it does seem like there will be a lot for Pokémon fans of all areas of the franchise. Is there anything you’re looking forward to? Anything you want to see? Let’s celebrate Pokémon!
Comments 89
Probably more free-to-play mobile games.
A rushed Game, probably
Pokemon forest where all the trees don't look like tress.
The Diamond and Pearl remakes will be a disaster and horribly made just like swsh. Carry on
I’m getting vibes that the Pokémon company is quite resistant to making a strong overhaul of the main franchise so I expect very safe and predictable announcements next year. Happy to be proven wrong.
More cash grabs
@PBandSmelly That fells a little cynical. I liked shield a lot, and I think I will have a great time with diamond.
We can expect the exact same, unchanged formula.
Pokemon warriors
> Pokemon Diamond/Pearl remake
> New Pokemon Snap
> Ports of Red/Blue/Green/Yellow and Gold/Silver/Crystal
> Pokemon Smile
> Pokemon Unite
Nintendo will release a new game, available during a limited window of six months, with something less than the full Pokedex, and people will scream bloody murder and burn down Kyoto in protest for crimes against humanity.
How about a remake of the Pokemon Stadium and the Gamcube games?
Pokemon TGC on Switch?
The most perpetually unhappy "Fans" ever screaming bloody muder online.
And millions of the silent majority either having fun with it, or if they dislike it, playing something else.
I REALLY hope we get some of the older games ported to Switch with the ability to transfer Pokemon from them directly into Home.
Hopefully we get news on Detective Pikachu 2 movie & other live-action adaptations.
I’d settle for surprise SwSh DLC or even a Go Johto.
lots of notable anniversaries next year. i hope pokemon has the master collection and dp remakes.
its also zeldas 35th, i hope we get botw 2 and a zelda version of 3d all stars. skyward sword hd too,
and persona also turns 25 next year, they confirmed they will release new games and ports next year just not on what console so i hope the switch ports of p5r, p4g, and p3p happen!!
I would be happy with an official Gardevoir Only Fans.
We should expect more quality, but probably will get more SW/SH quality crap and spin-offs made in a 2 month development time.
Every year is the anniversary for something.
Probably something slapped together by interns. I think the working title was "Let's Go Togepi & Marill".
@ChaosBadger777
I've stopped buying Pokémon games. Didn't buy Sword or Shield, and if they pull what they did this gen again I shan't be buying the next ones either. Not that it makes a blind bit of difference but I just cannot get on board.
I would like them to improve the quality of their games to actually have a soul again!
Getting New Pokemon Snap and Detective Pikachu 2 next year, wound be pretty awesome. Having said that, I'm going in with low expectations, as to not be disappointed, but as a fan of the franchise, getting those two games in 2021 will be nice.
I'd love a pokken tournament 2. Just sayin. Or a regular pokemon game with pokken style fighting.
A re-release only available for 30 seconds before delisting.
I've got low hopes, but who knows. Perhaps they'll amaze us.
Hey Joe, nice seeing you over here again. I'm really rooting for DP remake this time, hopefully it will be as good as ORAS!
After trying to get back into the series with Sword and Shield, I don't care...because I won't bother with them.
Whatever it is it will cost me a lot of money and 30-40 year olds will complain about it.
Disappointment.
It's really clear that most people commenting here didn't read the article at all.
@NikHogan you remebered all this anniversaries in 2021, but forget Metroid 35th anniversary, what a shame.
Whatever they do, there will be carnage in the comment sections...
I really hope for a Diamond/Pearl/Platinum remake using Gen 8 graphics and mechanics (several routes and the Great Marsh itself have Wild Area potential), as well as ports of the Gen 1 and 2 games (maybe Gen 3 too?) for Switch.
A D&P remake what includes the missing PM seems fairly obvious, its worth noting most of the Gen 4 Mythical's are not in Gen 8 so i think they are being held back for the remakes.
considering how Pokémon Sword e Shield was very disapointing to Gen 5 the last true/good gen, expect the 25th anniversary of the franchise filled with games with barest efort ever(is sadly to me say this, i a fan of the franchise since Gen 1).
I would like a Pokemon Game & Watch featuring Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow versions.
nothing amazing, they make billions doing the bare minimum
Nice article, but both Pokemon Sleep and the Detective Pikachu sequel were announced last year in 2019, not 2018.
This is the perfect year to finally ditch the Gamestop codes for good.
Probably another limited release like 3D All-Stars, some anti-customer surprises and another paid service. Hell, they could even make you pay monthly for the newest installment and people would still throw money at them.
I think DP Remakes will disappoint us all.
I think the leaked images that show that simplistic art-style are legit, like the ones from Let's Go that no one believed.
I can't imagine a studio as incompetent as GF doing Sinnoh, the biggest region in the franchise, in the more organic 3D-style like in SWSH in like 3 years (considering that they always work on multiple project, so I assume they started Sinnoh remakes after Let's Go?) , if they took 3 years to do Galar, the by far worst and most shallow region of the franchise.
Simplistic art-styles is acceptable for the Let's Go series as essentially the gap fillers that they are, but not for full on remakes, they should always use the best tech possible.
Disappontment?
Well, of course, they'll release Pokemon Unite! It is like the best thing ever! Right guys? ... Guys?
Hopefully, better boxart.
Limited time collection to be removed after 4 months.
Pokemon should become like Monster Rancher.
2021 is a big deal for many long running Nintendo franchises
> Donkey Kong: 40th anniversary
> The Legend of Zelda: 35th anniversary
> Metroid: 35th anniversary
> Pokemon: 25th anniversary
Pokemon is not the only anniversary in town.
It's sad not because of what they can't do, but what they won't do. I finally see things pointing to the Gen 4 remakes meme being real, but instead of a loveletter to fans like HGSS I expect the ORAS treatment, where things like the Battle Frontier, Great Marsh, & the Underground are either edited to be borderline unrecognizably different or flat out gutted from the games.
My hope is more so in the spin-offs, the ones we know in the new Snap and possible Detective Pikachu remake/definitive edition or sequel, and one they could easily do in an Explorers of Sky remake. But even here I'm mostly just expecting more throw away mobile games like Unite & Sleep that you'll forget you even downloaded after 3 play sessions.
I WANT Pokémon's 25th Anniversary to be great, but that's up to The Pokémon Company to do, and based on everything we've seen and know, I have nothing but doubt sadly.
Any decent chance of getting Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald GBA version released on Switch eShop?
I'm hoping there'll be another special about Metroid, later. Too many anniversaries next year!
@NikHogan I would buy all 3 of those on Switch!
My Pokemon Ranch update for Pokemon Home, let 'em roam and be housed in 3d. RIP My Pokemon Ranch.
@Heavyarms55,
So true, the vocal minority are always so predictable.
@PBandSmelly Thanks so much for this, now I know not to buy it.
I don't know if you're telepathically linked to Game Freak or you've played a game that hasn't even been announced yet but, the fact that you KNOW that this unannounced game will be objectively bad is extremely helpful.
Your endless wisdom is much appreciated
What can we EXPECT?
The same nonsense as usual but with anniversary branding, probably.
Hopefully they have the sense to drops Gens 1, 2 and 3 on the eShop with HOME support, with each Gen being a £10 collection in the run-up to DP remakes.
But this would require Game Freak not only having a good idea, but also thinking of doing something that fans want. Which simply does not happen.
I would really like to have the original Gameboy games in a collection. I never played them and would love to do so on my Switch with Pokemon Home.
I also would like a TCG. Even though I would probably lose all my life saving in the mtx shop there buying boosters.
I will never ever understand The Pokemon Company. Estimated to be worth $100bn absolutely massive money-making machine, one of the biggest. But, when it comes to games all they do is release half-assed copy and paste games. They have the team and the money to make a AAA mind-blowing system seller
Itstead they go "na f**k it copy the last one we did and make it a little more shiny"
I mean, i cant be the only one that would love to see a Zelda Breath of the wild type world, fully realised. There is nothing stopping them. the only reason they wont is because its so much easy just to copy and paste and people will still buy it.
What to expect: Game Freak / The Pokémon Company to release some new information on games that will all sell very well and make lots of people happy. The vocal minority on the internet to get up in arms about it but probably buy it all anyway.
A new Pikachu in a hat in Pokémon Go.
lmao glad the initial comments are my thoughts. If they wanted to impress, they'd release the full Pokemon roster for Sword and Shield. But I would expect...disappointment!
I really enjoyed Pokémon fire red so I'd like to see that ported on switch
i hope Detective Pikachu '2' is more like the 3DS game then the movie
i can't watch the movie ever again, what they did with Mewtwo makes me legit mad
@johnvboy It gets worse with each year that goes by too. More and more ways for people to broadcast their "totally legit complaints"...
@Not-Geno You're entitled to feel that.
But considering gen 4 is often labeled as the peak of the franchise (before everything got worse), while SWSH is labeled the absolute bottom, remaking gen 4 with SWSH's standards is going to set the world on fire.
ORAS IMO was a pretty good remake of hoenn, some downs with the character redesigns, but overall was a good era. Gen 4 remake would only be good if magically it had better online (no 20 minute timers), removed dynamax, and the story+environments stayed the same meaning they can't possibly ruin it. I just do not have the faith in GF or TPC to achieve that.
Remember when the 12th of January was a thing? I wonder if we'll see any details then, gone are the days with the special in game events for that day
@TG16_IS_BAE sadly I feel like we can expect that for the rest of pokemon's lifespan. The same style of game with slight gimmicks in the battles like mega evolution
@PBandSmelly 1. We don't know if the Sinnoh games will get remakes.
2. Even if they did, we wouldn't know if they were good or bad until we played them.
@arekdougy to be fair, they will eventually have so many different pokemon that it would make it difficult to add every single one, plus shinies, megas, gmax forms, etc.
@earthinheritor Maybe people don't mind the core series games retaining the traditional formula. They may not exactly be unpredictable, but they at least do something interesting/different with the context of each entry.
@Yosher Personally, I think Sword/Shield had more soul than Sun/Moon (IE Pokemon appearing in the overworld and your player character not making the same face even in dire situations).
@AlexanderDaniels Really? Is that a bad thing or you hated when that happens?
@FluffiestP1llow I agree.
@TG16_IS_BAE But with different context.
@PBandSmelly swsh were good pokemon games not sure how you know about diamond and pearl remakes being good ro bad when they havent announced yet or might not even exist at all.
@Giancarlothomaz Absolutely not! Its just not as popular as the others I don't think Nintendo's gonna do anything with it except maybe the trilogy. I would love to be wrong tho!
@mr-duster Pokemon suddenly randomly growing out of the ground very close to you is not having a soul if you ask me. I'll give you the facial expressions though. But if you compare it to Sun and Moon it's not hard to look good tbh, the series stopped being good with the sixth generation.
@Yosher I mean, NPCs popping out of the ground is common with RPGs.
And in my opinion, the series improved with each generation. But that's just me.
@FluffiestP1llow I so wish they would do a party system, where you battle with multiple pokemon at the same time, like a final fantasy style ATB system. SOMETHING to shake up the formula. I would buy that SO HARD lol
@mr-duster Exactly!
@mr-duster I get it but at this point its just lazy. I mean even the core crowd turned against them with Sword and Shield and how lazy it was.
When your core audience turns against you ya messed up big time. They have the resources and money to make an absolutely epic game that could outsell anything and they just go "nah, let's make a new game with minimal changes, those suckers will buy ir"
@TG16_IS_BAE omg I would be all over that! Change the 8 gyms then elite 4 style, make characters we actually care about, make battles more difficult etc. Its been almost 25 years of the same thing. Original pokemon fans have grown up, show them some love game freak c'mon!
@mr-duster And it bugs me every time it happens in an RPG. Random battles are one thing but when it happens on the overworld it just becomes annoying and very much breaks the immersion.
@TheLightSpirit I can say they don't have Chikorita or Turtwig or Tropius. Those are my three favourites and every Pokémon game I play, I get those three as quickly as possible and play through with them. I can't even do that with one of them
@FluffiestP1llow That would be so awesome!
@TheLightSpirit Indeed. If they listen to the feedback then I shall be the first to jump straight back on the Pokétrain
Probably more old games ported and sold only for a limited time...great....
Lets hope first for a game machine graphically worthy of the Nintendo Switch hardware. Because all we have seen from Gamefreak is well polished 3DS games with the hardware of a switch. (better lightings, better textures etc).
I expect a Pokemon game worthy of its name. A name which is only compared with zelda, and mario sales (or even more).
Next year is likely already going to be oversaturated with other anniversaries. When it comes to Pokemon, I don't have many expectations.
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