2020 was an interesting year for Pokemon fans, with the announcement of a sequel to 1999's Pokemon Snap, an upcoming Pokemon MOBA, and the release of the series' first ever DLC Expansions in place of a new annual installment, breaking a 4-year trend. Now, as 2021 is officially well under way, fans of the series seem to have one thing on their mind: Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes.
For the past few months, speculation surrounding the next mainline Pokemon games has largely been exclusive to theories and speculation about remakes of the 4th generation games. In addition to this speculation, rumors and supposed leaks have taken center-stage, with a new one seemingly popping up almost every week at this point. And now, Pokemon fans think that an upcoming set of merchandise could hint towards remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, further adding fuel to the fire.
Upcoming Pokemon Merch
A new merch listing on Japanese online retail website Rakuten seems to point towards Diamond and Pearl remakes with not-so-subtle inclusions of many 4th generation Pokemon. Over on Twitter, established Pokemon leaker Centro Pokemon LEAKS retweeted an image of the new merch posted by Paul Ryan, webmaster at Pokeshopper.com, a large Pokemon merch database. Both Centro Pokemon and Paul Ryan hinted that fans should keep an eye on the upcoming Pokemon merch. When roughly translated, the new merch seems to be a mini study journal set featuring a variety of Pokemon.
While the set features staple monsters like Pikachu, Eevee, and the 8th generation starter Pokemon, it also includes 4th generation Pokemon like the Sinnoh region's starters, Riolu and Lucario, Leafeon and Glaceon, Munchlax, and Pachirisu. Paul Ryan also noted that Munchlax and Pachirisu's frequent appearances in Pokemon merch as of late may point to upcoming anime promotions of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes.
It's worth noting that Munchlax was one of the first Pokemon used to introduced the 4th generation of Pokemon back in 2004, and Pachirisu was heavily marketed during the height of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, so, should this merch point to 4th generation remakes, the inclusion of these Pokemon comes as no surprise. Additionally, it seems that other Pokemon like the 8th generation starters' evolutions or even the ever-popular Kanto starters could have been chosen to appear alongside Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey, but Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig have appeared instead.
Let's Go Catching Mechanics Rumor
Just last week, a supposed leak from 4chan resurfaced on Reddit due to correct prediction about Pokemon Sword and Shield. The leak was posted in October of 2019, just about a month before Sword and Shield officially launched. The supposed leak both correctly predicted the existence of a Galarian form for the 1st generation Pokemon Mr. Mime and its Galarian evolution, as well as how the new mix-and-match fossil mechanic would work in the 8th generation games. Aside from this, the leak also stated that Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes would release in 2020 and feature Pokemon Let's Go capture mechanics.
This leak initially disappointed some, since many long-time Pokemon fans favor traditional Pokemon-catching mechanics as opposed to the Pokemon GO-like capture mechanics introduced in Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Eevee!, where players had to either imitate throwing a Poke Ball with their Joy-Con controllers or line up a timed button press. And while some defend the leak saying that 4th generation Pokemon remakes didn't release in 2020 due to COVID-19-related complications, Centro Pokemon came out and assured fans that there is no reason to think that Diamond and Pearl remakes will feature Let's Go-styled catching mechanics. Further, Centro Pokemon claimed that the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLC Expansions were planned to release last year from the start.
February 27 Pokemon Day Reveal
2021 marks Pokemon's 25th anniversary, which specifically falls on February 27, the day the first ever Pokemon games, Red and Green, released in Japan. Over the years, February 27 has become known as Pokemon Day, usually coinciding with real-world and in-game events, as well as hosting a plethora of announcements about all things Pokemon. One more big rumor touches on what is likely the most probable scenario, saying that Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes will be revealed in February of this year.
In the past, Pokemon Direct presentations held on Pokemon Day have coincided with big game announcements, such as the announcement of Pokemon Sun and Moon in 2016 and the announcement of Pokemon Sword and Shield in 2019. While Sun and Moon's Pokemon Day announcement only revealed the game's logos, Sword and Shield's announcement revealed gameplay, the games' box-Legendary Pokemon, as well as the Galar region's starter Pokemon. So, for the time being, most fans have their hearts set on February 27 as when they'll likely hear about Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Remakes are not confirmed to be in development.