Ever since the Pokemon games took fans back to Kanto for the first time in 2004 with the Pokemon Red and Blue remakes, Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green, a loose pattern of remaking previous mainline Pokemon games has been established. Every few years, an older generation of Pokemon games is remade, and seeing as the first, second, and third generations have all had their turn for remakes, fans have their hearts set on remakes of the fourth generation Pokemon games, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
Although some fans were disappointed to see the first generation games get remade for a second time on the Switch with 2018's Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, others held out hope for remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl in 2020. However, The Pokemon Company threw fans another curveball this year by releasing DLC expansions for the first time ever, with the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra expansions for Pokemon Sword and Shield. Despite this, many fans contend that with Pokemon's 25th anniversary coming up next year, 2021 is the perfect time for the series to celebrate its past with Diamond and Pearl remakes, and some fans are speculating that the games are already being hinted at.
Junichi Masuda, one of the key producers at Game Freak for many Pokemon games, just recently made a tweet expressing gratitude for fan support during a tough year and hopefulness for 2021. However, what caught the eyes of fans most was the photo attached to the tweet, which depicted a group of several plush Psyduck, which could be a reference to a moment involving the iconic Pokemon in the Diamond and Pearl games.
While an unsuspecting fan may not think twice about the inclusion of a group of Psyduck in a simple New Year's tweet, observant fans have noticed that it could actually be alluding to coming Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes because of a moment in the games when a group of Psyduck experiencing headaches block the player character's path. For some, this theory may seem like a reach, but remakes of Diamond and Pearl have been rumored for quite some time now. And when considering that many believe Masuda to have hinted at Pokemon Sword and Shield via Twitter in the past, a cheeky hint like this doesn't seem too far-fetched.
The devil's advocate to this theory might point out that Psyduck is a Pokemon that is known to be prone to headaches. Including them in a photo at what looks like some sort of studio may just have been intended to be a representation of the headaches caused by stressful aspects of 2020, particularly when it comes to game development and delays.
Whether 2021 brings Diamond and Pearl remakes, Let's Go Johto games, or something completely out of left field is yet to be known. For the time being, however, at least Pokemon fans know they have at least some surprises to look forward to with the series' 25th anniversary next year.