It's been decades since Pokémon first appeared on the Nintendo Game Boy in Japan. From two simple games, it became the biggest media franchise in the world. This Pokémon Day, The Pokémon Company is back with a new Pokémon Presents, where they announced updates to the series and a new game!
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
One year after it was first announced, we have new information about Pokémon Legends: Z-A! This is the next installment of the hit game Pokémon Legends: Arceus (PLA) in 2022. This time, we will be taken to Lumiose City, the heart of the Kalos region. Similar to PLA, there are wild zones where Pokémon can be hunted using new mechanics closer to the main series games.
The story revolves around an old hotel, the Hotel Z, which will be your base in the game. The host here is AZ, along with his Pokémon Floette from Pokémon X and Y. For starter Pokémon, there are Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile to choose from. There are speculations that they will have Mega Evolutions as this popular battle mechanic will be brought back again!
Some of the Pokémon highlighted in the trailer are Eevee (with its evolutions), Aegislash, and Zygarde. Some Mega Pokémon like Mega Charizard X & Y, Mega Lucario, and Mega Gardevoir can also be seen. Late 2025 the game will be released on Nintendo Switch, and based on previous release dates, it will probably come out in the month of November.
New Game: Pokémon Champions
In addition to Legends: Z-A, a new game was released — the Pokémon Champions 400;">! Pokémon Works is leading development, along with GAME FREAK. In this game, battles will be the highlight, where Double Battles is the format shown in the trailer. Many trainers from different countries will compete using selected Pokémon.
According to the teaser, both Terastallization and Mega Evolution will be part of the game, which will be the first time in a Pokémon battle game! Another big twist here is that the game will be available not only on Nintendo Switch, but also on mobile devices! It's still in early development, so it will probably be a few years before it's released.
Other Pokémon Updates
Besides the two new games, there is other exciting news!
- Mega Evolutions are coming back to the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG)! It's called Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Series, which features Mega Evolution Pokémon ex like Lucario and Gardevoir. It is expected to come out this year.
- New episodes of Pokémon Concierge! It will be released on Netflix in September 2024.
- New Pokémon TCG Pocket booster pack! It's called Triumphant Light, and will be released tomorrow, February 28, which features Arceus ex as the flagship Pokémon.
Lots of other announcements throughout Pokémon Presents! Watch the full presentation for complete details.
