Pokémon Legends: Z-A
OLLIE: At this point, I think we can probably expect a decent chunk of gameplay looking at Lumiose City, the protagonist, the battle system, and all that good stuff. A release date isn’t out of the question, but I’m not too confident about that just yet. I feel like The Pokémon Company is keen to avoid a specific date until it’s absolutely ready in the hope that it can avoid another Scarlet and Violet situation, but we’ll see.
GAVIN: Gameplay and a few reveals are obviously expected, although I’m wondering if they’ll stop short of a release date. With Switch 2 reveal details still unknown, I wouldn’t be surprised if they flag a Legends: Z-A-specific broadcast later on that will have the release date details. Just a hunch — and it’ll obviously be launched in time for the holidays — but if they want some wiggle room to push the launch between weeks in October or November, perhaps they’ll keep the launch date to a vague ‘Late 2025’ at the mo.
JIM: Everything that my learned colleagues have said above feels like a safe bet to me, too. I can picture a first gameplay trailer that’s all about some ‘new’ ‘mon (be that a regional variant or some swish Legendary) and how you’ll be interacting with them in the urban environment. It would be really nice to get a decent look at the art style too — I like that little neon Pika from last year’s tease, but give me something else to look at… please.
ALANA: This won’t be the place for a deep dive on Z-A, and part of me is slightly fearful of a minor delay, but I do think we’ll get some sort of a trailer, as others have said. If we do get gameplay, I want to see something brand new — give me that city-building feature that I’m dreaming of, Game Freak…
App Updates
GAVIN: Sure, some limited-time Pokémon GO event. Sleep gets an overhaul or something. The Café game gets some new mode. I’ll grab a coffee during this bit.
OLLIE: Normally I’d be on the same page as Gavin here, but if there’s new information provided for Pokémon TCG Pocket, I’ll be paying close attention. I’m not completely invested in the game and have yet to venture into the world of battling and trading, but I do love opening those packs every day. A special event or the announcement of new booster packs would be welcome.
JIM: Much like Ollie, I’m all about TCG Pocket and have my fingers crossed for some news on it. It feels a little early to drop the next expansion after Space-Time Smackdown, but the reveal of the headline cards and a release date could work. Aside from that, I am willing to put all my money on hearing “[insert obscure Pokémon here] is being added to Pokémon Unite!”
ALANA: Is it time for a new app? I mean, the franchise turns 30 next year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we got something new for phones and tablets. A Pokémon cooking app, maybe? You know you want it.
A Remake?
OLLIE: A remake announcement at this stage would really surprise me. Let’s face it, although Z-A is a known entity now, it’s still yet to be showcased properly, so I would imagine The Pokémon Company will want all the focus to be on that for now. A new remake would completely steal its thunder.
ALANA: I mean, if we do see a remake, it’ll be Black & White, right? But again, given the big 3-0 is next year, I’m 100% expecting them to wheel out some new take on Kanto. Just not this year. Honestly? Remake — or remaster — Pokémon Colosseum. Now that’d get me excited.
JIM: I agree that revealing something else at this point makes very little sense, but let’s look at things another way: this is The Pokémon Company. We got zero games from them last year, and a bit of me wonders whether that means 2025 will see TPC back with a vengeance. Who am I kidding? I just want to see ‘HeartierGold and SoulierSilver’.
GAVIN: I don’t think TPC could put out another Kanto remake with a straight face, but Johto? They could get away with that and have almost the same level of Red/Blue nostalgia.