The new battle game Pokémon Champions is now just weeks away from release, and once it's up and running, the plan is to keep it going for as long as possible.
Game producer Masaaki Hoshino has revealed how the team wants this new title to go the distance, or "basically forever", as long as the series keeps going, and is potentially open to a huge amount of roster expansion. Here's what he had to say during a recent chat with GamesRadar:
Masaaki Hoshino: "We're planning to keep Pokemon Champions going far into the future – basically forever, as long as the Pokemon series is continuing. And who knows? Far in the future, we'll have 2,000, 3,000, maybe 10,000 Pokemon."
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So, depending on the game's level of success and support from trainers around the globe, there's a chance it's here for the long haul. While "forever" might be a bit of an exaggeration in this case, The Pokémon Company has been able to keep titles like Pokémon GO and even Pokémon Unite operational for many years now.
Pokémon Champions will be released on 8th April 2026 as a "free-start-experience", meaning anyone who has access to a Switch will be able to download the game from the eShop. Other than the reveal of the Starter Pack, details about the paid elements have not been revealed at this stage.
There will also be a free game update for players on Switch 2 at launch, and the title will be released on mobile devices later this year.