It’s that time of the year! Another Pokémon Presents livestream is around the corner, celebrating Pokémon Day 2024.
Pokémon Presents is set for 6am PT / 9am EST / 2pm GMT on February 27, and will appear on the official Pokémon YouTube channel.
So, what can we expect from the video? With both parts of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet expansion The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero already out, as well as epilogue, Mochi Mayhem, fans expect announcements of new and upcoming games from The Pokémon Company. Perhaps we'll get yet another remake. Could it be the turn of Black and White? Could Pokémon Legends: Arceus get a sequel? Or perhaps an entirely new spin-off is in order?
With the Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly internally delayed to early 2025, a launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch seems set in stone. Whatever the next Pokémon game is, The Pokémon Company has tended to release new games in the franchise in November, so perhaps we’ll see a release then.
Pokémon video game developer Game Freak received criticism for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which IGN awarded a 6/10. “The open-world gameplay of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a brilliant direction for the future of the franchise, but this promising shift is sabotaged by the numerous ways in which Scarlet and Violet feel deeply unfinished,” we said.
Following the poor critical reception to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, The Pokémon Company said it was having internal conversations about maintaining game quality amid its "constant" release schedule.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were criticised for technical issues including a broken PvE experience, a rigged Battle Stadium, duplication glitches, a bizarre method of running at double speed, and more Nintendo was forced to apologise for.
Some have suggested the relentless pace of Pokémon game releases has had an adverse effect on quality (not to mention the health of the developers at Game Freak), with several launches in the Nintendo Switch era alone including 2018’s Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee!, 2019’s Pokémon Sword and Shield, and 2022’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (plus DLC expansions).
Despite this, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet sold incredibly well, shifting 24.36 million copies as of the end of 2023. 2019’s Pokémon Sword and Shield has sold even better, with 26.17 million copies shifted.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
