After a number of rumors emerged about a Nintendo Direct debuting this month, many were expecting the broadcast to detail Nintendo’s plans as the company moved into 2020. With Animal Crossing coming to Switch in a few months’ time and the company’s slate seeming somewhat empty, it made sense for Nintendo to give an update to its fans regarding what they could expect in the coming months. However, while a Direct has finally been confirmed to be on its way, it’s not exactly in the way many fans were expecting.
Announced recently by Nintendo, it appears that the upcoming January 9 Direct will focus entirely on Pokemon. It’s a surprising move, especially as the company released Pokemon Sword and Shield back in November last year, but it appears the company has big plans for its beloved pocket monster collector as it enters the new decade. So, what will Nintendo talk about on January 9? It’s worth noting it has set aside a whopping twenty minutes to discuss Pokemon related news, so it appears it has a substantial number of announcements to reveal.
Of course, fans of the series will know that a number of side projects are already in development and it seems like a given that Nintendo will take some time to expand upon the rather vague introductions it gave to each of these Pokemon-related experiences. Pokemon Home is perhaps the biggest of the bunch and is especially important seen as Sword and Shield have been on shelves for a number of months now. For those unaware, Pokemon Home is essentially a major upgrade to Pokemon Bank: an app that allows players to store their favorite pocket monsters from each iteration of the franchise.
With Home installed on either the Switch or a mobile device, players will be able to move over their Pokemon from the older titles, as well as add catches from Pokemon Go, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee. Beyond that, there’s little information on what Home provides or why fans should be excited about it, so hopefully Nintendo will explain what Home is and why it’s an integral new string to the franchise’s bow. Some fans have even speculated about the app potentially have minigames or other incentives to continue tuning it, so it'll no doubt be interesting to find out more about the app when the Direct debuts.
The second project already known to be in the pipeline is Pokemon Sleep. The bizarre app was announced back in May last year with the supposed goal of making sleep-tracking fun. How it attempts to do that is anyone’s guess, but it appears the service will aim to work in tandem with Pokemon Go, with both using the Pokemon Go Plus device. Sleep’s release will actually come with an upgrade to the device called Pokemon Go Plus + (not confusing in the slightest), which will apparently be operable through both games. Fans have even theorized that Sleep will have crossover features with Pokemon Go, which would make sense seen as both will be available through players’ phones.
Nintendo will likely show off exactly how Sleep works on January 9, highlighting why it’s better than the majority of other sleep-tracking apps on the market and how it connects to other experiences currently available under the Pokemon brand. It’s undeniably the strangest upcoming project surrounding the massive franchise, so explaining why the company decided to put it into production could be a large aspect of this Direct.
The third and final project fans already know may be coming is a sequel to the Detective Pikachu video game on the 3DS. With the success of the movie last year, it would be wise for Nintendo to talk more about the sequel while fans are still excited, and this Direct would be the perfect time to do so. Last year, the company cited that the game would be a follow-up that continues the story past the cliffhanger ending of the first title. Whether plans have changed to fall more in line with the storyline of the film as it was such a major commercial success is anyone’s guess, but announcing more about the title and showing some gameplay seems a likely bet for tomorrow’s conference.
From here, Nintendo’s plans are somewhat ambiguous. However, it's easy to speculate where Nintendo could be looking to take the franchise next, especially seen as the brand seems to be aiming to release content more frequently.
For one, it’s not too much of a longshot to imagine that Nintendo could already be preparing some DLC for Sword and Shield. Seen as the game’s biggest controversy was the removal of the National Dex and many of the iconic Pokemon present in previous iterations of the franchise, it makes sense for Nintendo to add more familiar faces to the roster after so much fan backlash. There’s also very few legendary Pokemon to discover in Sword and Shield's late-game, which was always a staple of past titles in the franchise. A DLC adding some new dungeons with rare Pokemon as a reward for completion could be a superb piece of content directed towards fans hungry for new adventures, especially as it was one of the harshest criticisms leveled against the game.
Outside of DLC, there’s always the chance that Nintendo could already be looking to re-release Sword and Shield similarly to how it released Ultra Sun and Moon back in 2017. Granted, it would be a strange move to announce a new edition of either title so soon after their release, but Nintendo will likely repackage the game at some point, so what’s to say they won’t tease it here. Alternatively, the Direct could showcase a third iteration of Sword and Shield. Seen in the likes of Pokemon Yellow and Pokemon Emerald, the Pokemon franchise has been known to occasionally release a third game in a specific region, often boasting slight variations on areas, new Pokemon, or vastly different legendary creatures to catch. It’s perhaps more unlikely than a potential Ultimate Sword and Shield, but there would definitely be an audience interested in a potential third twist on the formula.
Although it’s far less likely, there’s also the potential for Nintendo to tease a brand-new game altogether. Naturally, it’s almost certainly not going to be the next entry in the mainline series, but a remake or sequel to one of the spinoff Pokemon games is a much more believable notion. Fans seem to unanimously agree that a remake of Diamond and Pearl should be the logical next step for Pokemon on the Switch, whether that be through the lens of the more approachable Lets Go games or in the same style as Sword and Shield. Diamond and Pearl are renown as being two of the best entries in the franchise, so it makes sense that Nintendo would want to bring them back with a fresh coat of paint. There’s also the Mystery Dungeon series which has amassed a major cult following through each subsequent release. Out of the spinoff titles, it seems the most likely to get a followup, so perhaps Nintendo will resurrect it for the Switch.
Speculation aside, it will be interesting to see where Nintendo intends to go with the series heading into 2020. While many were hoping for some more major news on what the company’s plans were for the likes of Animal Crossing and Super Smash Bros Ultimate, it appears Pokemon will remain one of the company's main focuses going into this year. Whether that’s for better or worse depends on what Nintendo reveal tomorrow, however, there’s no denying that it’s one hell of an exciting time to be a Pokemon fan.
Nintendo's Pokemon Direct will broadcast on January 9.