It's been a little under a year now since Nintendo announced that its next "core" entry in the Pokemon series would be coming to the Switch. In that time, the developer has maintained strict silence about the upcoming title. Aside from its wide release window, very little has been confirmed about the game; something that probably won't change until E3 2018. However, a recent trademark filed by Nintendo suggests that this isn't the only Pokemon game currently in development for the Switch.

The Pokemon series has seen plenty of spin-offs released over the years. Some, like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, have seen moderate success in their own right. Others, such as Pokemon Trozei, have remained one-off experiments that haven’t seen any development beyond the first game. Pokemon Rumble is one of the more successful spin-off series, with several games  released on the Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U. The most recent game in the spin-off series is Pokemon Rumble World, a 3DS game released in 2015. While the series will soon be getting something akin to a mobile version in the form of the PokeLand app, a Switch release wouldn't be too far outside the realm of possibility, and it seems Nintendo agrees.

pokemon nintendo switch game

According to Serebii and Japanese Nintendo,  Nintendo recently registered a trademark for "Poksucu." This word is often used in reference to Pokemon Scramble, the Japanese name for Pokemon Rumble. This could very well mean that the series will be coming to the Switch in addition to the traditional Pokemon RPG fans are already waiting for. However, there is also the possibility that this trademark filing is being made in reference to PokeLand. The connection doesn't appear to be strong, but it's worth noting nonetheless.

Up until now, it's been assumed by many that the expected "core" entry of the Pokemon series was going to be the only Pokemon game the Switch was going to see for a while. It's been the center of rumor and speculation since its launch with many gaining widespread popularity before being quickly proven false. The chance that the Switch could soon play host to several Pokemon series opens up all sorts of possibilities. Nintendo has tried several risky ideas with Pokemon spin-offs in the past, and the Switch's massive success might just embolden them to try something new and interesting once again. Pokemon may be twenty-plus years old at this point, but there are still plenty of places Nintendo could go with it.

Source: Newsweek