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Next week, on 27th February 2025, Pokémon will be celebrating its 29th birthday. And you know what that means? It’s time for some Pokémon Presents.
After a relatively ‘muted’ 2024, there’s a lot on people’s minds. Inverted commas there because, come on, if muted means releasing a brand new mobile game which has taken the world by storm, hundreds of new lines of merch, frequent events, codes, new trading cards (and new scandals), and way more, then even Whismur could be confused.
The Pokémon Company bucked more than a few recent trends in 2024: one, it didn’t release a brand new mainline Pokémon game or remake; and two, it only held one Pokémon Presents, on 27th February 2024.
Has TPC been listening to us? Since 2019, it has held at least two a year — one in February, and another in the summer. Sometimes, there’d even be a third one. Gasp. So, for once, after a much-needed rest, Pokémon fans like me are a little bit more desperate for some news this year.
Look, I won’t sugar coat it — Pokémon Presents (or Pokémon Directs as they used to be called) are often pretty boring. The pacing is weird and there’s way too much focus on stuff that already exists. I won’t drag mobile games into it just because I don’t really care, and I know those apps are showering TPC in Poké Dollars, but essentially, they’re a little too long with not enough info snappily delivered. Nintendo Directs have spoiled me.
But 2024 seemed to take some feedback on board. The presentation was snappier and we got a few big announcements, one being Pokémon TC Pocket, the other being the source of almost everyone’s excitement — Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Teased at the very end of the Presents, almost 366 days later, we know next to nothing about the upcoming Pokémon game. It’s set in the Kalos region, the stage for Pokémon X & Y, and takes place entirely in Lumiose City. It’s also slated to be part of Generation IX, so it’s in the same pocket of games as Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Mega Evolution has been teased, too. And it’s coming out in 2025.
Pokémon Presents 2025, then — which we know is coming thanks to a Pokémon GO datamine — is surely going to give us a good look at the new Legends game. So, for the first time in a while, I’m actually a little excited. Emphasis on little, because looking at previous Pokémon Presents, my (and others’) expectations are pretty low.
There’s no guarantee that Z-A will show up on 27th Feb, but I’d be pretty shocked if it didn’t. It’s rare that we know nothing about a main Pokémon game for such a long time. How is the whole game set in Lumiose City? Are you rebuilding it? Are there any new Pokémon forms à la Hisuian from Legends: Arceus? What unique mechanics are there? What does it look like? Will it touch on the Kalos War? And will it be a cross-gen title for Switch and Switch 2?
Z-A was initially announced for the Switch, and I don’t see it not coming to Nintendo’s current, if ageing hardware. But we all know how Scarlet & Violet and, to a lesser extent, Arceus ran on the Switch. You’d hope the lure of new tech and the experience of working on the Switch would help Game Freak brush up a bit. Plus, with the Switch 2’s existence no longer a myth, TPC can also start making announcements for the new console.
Of course, there’s also the potential for Z-A to be delayed to 2026, which would be a pretty big blow, unless TPC has a remake or something else up its sleeve. Pokémon Black & White remake rumours have been floating around for a good while now, and while the prospect of remakes of one of my favourite Pokémon games makes me nervous, a lot of fans have been asking after it.
Again, I’ll stress, that my expectations for the presentation as a whole are relatively low. Even for Z-A, we might just get a trailer with no explanation. I’d be happy enough with that! But there will probably be a swathe of other announcements and long talking heads segments to wade through first.
There’s also the matter of the next generation of Pokémon, Gen X. There’s every chance the next duo of Pokémon games could be teased next week, but I think TPC will be saving those for the 30th anniversary, which is next year. Z-A is part of Gen IX, and is likely the final curtain for what has been a rocky gen for Switch Pokémon fans.
Who knows! Perhaps TPC will surprise us, go in for a deep dive on Z-A, or keep things short and snappy. A tiny part of me wants to get excited because I feel like I’ve lost a lot of love for a franchise that, essentially, got me into video games. I grew up with Pokémon, but I can’t get enthusiastic over a presentation that only focuses on games for a few minutes minutes.
I’ll take a little look at a claymation figure from the upcoming Aardman Animation collaboration, though.
Anyway, enough of my rambling and ranting — let us know what you’re expecting from Pokémon Day in 2024 by voting in our polls and by leaving a comment. A Sunny Day may be around the corner.