Recently,Pokemonfans learned that the official release dates forPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl, as well as that forPokemon Legends: Arceusare much closer than expected. As a matter of fact, the remakes forPokemon DiamondandPearlwill come in November of this year, and while players knew they were going to be released at some point in 2021, it’s great to have official confirmation. What is even more exciting, though, is the fact thatPokemon Legends: Arceuswill hit the stores very soon afterBrilliant DiamondandShiningPearl, merely over two months later, towards the end of January 2022.
The reason whyPokemon Legends: Arceuscoming so soon is great news lies in the fact that this means there is hope for a 2022 release ofPokemonGeneration 9, or at least it makes it likely for Gen 9 to drop at some point in early 2023.Pokemon SwordandShieldwill be three years old in 2022, and the average time in between releases of newPokemongames is three years, too, which makes the possibility of Gen 9 releasing not long afterPokemon Legends: Arceusquite realistic. Furthermore, this is a big year for The Pokemon Company, and the reason for it is that 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the series, thus a great way to celebrate the end of this year would be to announce Generation 9 games.
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Pokemon Sword And Shield, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, And Open-World Gen 9
Pokemon SwordandShieldwere a huge success, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. There were a few issues with the games, especially with the open-world elements being defined as rudimentary by some fans, and then there was the very limited amount of available Pokemon in the Galarian Pokedex on release, prior to the two DLCs. Regardless, others considered the Generation 8 games to be a big step up in the right direction for the franchise, building a world that is more akin to that of other modern games rather than cementing the traditional elements of classicPokemongames. After all,Pokemongames need to evolve just like the iconic creatures do.
Pokemon Legends: Arceuswas likely built on the foundations thatPokemon SwordandShieldlaid, and the end result is aPokemontitle that is not so dissimilar toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildin terms of environment and how players can interact with it. Whether this same model will be used for future games of thePokemonfranchise remains to be seen, of course, but it is likely for Generation 9 games to take in the best elements of their predecessors. In fact, an open-world game is a great way to expand on the graphics, the UI, and the overall user experience, and especially so for thePokemonseries because of how limited the exploration could otherwise feel.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis not to be considered a brand-new mainline game, but rather a possible new series based on legendary Pokemon and their ancient history, considering how this title will delve into the past of Sinnoh and the making of the very first Pokedex. As such, it will feature past Pokemon from other chapters of the franchise, and for the first time there will be a set of three starters from different Generations in the form of Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott from Gen 7, Gen 2, and Gen 5 respectively.
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What Defines A New Generation Of Pokemon Games, And Gen 9 Rumors
APokemonGeneration 9game will have an expanded Pokedex and add plenty of new critters for players to catch and train, with new starter Pokemon and an uncharted region. Because of this, there have been many rumors regarding whatPokemonGen 9 would have and which would be the real-world country from which the game presumably drew inspiration for its cultural background and overall setting. The rumors were many and they spread over time, but some of them were either proven wrong or remained pure speculation since there hasn’t been any official statement on Gen 9 games and their existence, let alone their setting.
Still, one of the most popular rumors is that Gen 9Pokemongames will be set in a region based on a mix of Italy and Greece, which were never at the core of any other game, making it somewhat plausible. However, this rumor came bundled with the fact that Gen 4 remakes were not coming, but again,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwill release this November, and this is enough to rule this whole hypothesis out. The second rumor, and this one is not disconfirmed yet, involves a tiny globe shown in the player’s house inPokemon SwordandShield,with a big island on it that looks similar in shape to Australia, with New Zealand showing just above it. This made players think it was intended as a way to foreshadow Gen 9’s setting, but this detail was added whenSwordandShieldwere being developed, so it’s unlikely. Or, it could be a way to foreshadow theIsle of ArmorDLC, instead, which launched last year.
Why A Gen 9 Pokemon Game Is Likely To Release In 2022
Regardless of rumors, as long as the Pokemon Company makesPokemongames, there is no reason to believe a Generation 9 title won’t happen. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that Game Freak is known to have two development teams, and it appears that only one is working onPokemon Legends:Arceus, whileBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare being produced by ILCA Inc., instead. This remains speculation at this stage, but it’s not unlikely to think that the second team has been working on ideas and drafts of Gen 9Pokemongames to have the first team converge on the project oncePokemon Legends: Arceusis doneand ready.
For this reason and many others mentioned above, it’s not impossible at this point that a new set ofPokemongameswill come in 2022, maybe around one year afterBrilliant DiamondandShiningPearl, either in November or December. While the setting and starter Pokemon of a Gen 9 game are based on suppositions, the likelihood of new titles releasing not too far into the future seems even more plausible now than ever before.
