Pokemon Black and White are considered by some to be somewhat of a black sheep of the Pokemon series. Many Pokemon fans around the internet claim that Pokemon Black and White are overlooked in terms of quality and story, while plenty of veteran fans of the series feel like Generation 5 was where the series started to slowly decline in a variety of ways.
Now, Generation 5 is back in the spotlight following the reveal of the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes announced during today's Pokemon Presentation. Plenty of Pokemon fans online are discussing what direction a potential Pokemon Black and White remake could look like after seeing Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
For those who may have missed it, The Pokemon Company held an online presentation to celebrate Pokemon's 25th anniversary, as well as to announce new projects surrounding the Pokemon franchise coming in the future. One of the biggest announcements from the presentation was the reveal of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which are remakes of the Generation 4 Pokemon titles on the Nintendo DS. These remakes, or remasters, of the Generation 4 Pokemon titles have long been rumored, especially considering GameFreak has now established a solid trend on remaking past titles from the series every few years or so. As a result, fans have already begun speculating online what the inevitable Generation 5 remakes could look like.
Though Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's art style and aesthetic has split the Pokemon fanbase, many are comparing the game to the 2019 Link's Awakening remake on Switch. There are also some players out there who are hoping to see Generation 5 remakes adopt a similar design. Twitter user @ilivefordisres1 says "The fact that they revamped the old style into this day and age fills me with so much nostalgia. Now I'm hoping we get gen 5 remakes in this style." Of course, there are some users online who are simply joking about asking for Generation 5 remakes constantly now that the Generation 4 remakes have officially been revealed.
Still, it's probably going to be some time before GameFreak even begins planning for the inevitable Generation 5 remakes. For reference, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which were remakes of the original Generation 3 Pokemon titles on the GameBoy Advance, released back in 2014. That means it's been about seven years since the last Pokemon titles were remade. If GameFreak keeps in line with that tradition it will likely be another six to eight years before the Generation 5 titles are remade.
Generation 5 Pokemon also got a bit of spotlight in some of the Pokemon Presentation's other reveals. For example, Black and White's water-type starter Oshawott is one of the available starter Pokemon featured in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, an open world Pokemon title for the Nintendo Switch, set in the Sinnoh region of the past. Additionally, a variety of Generation 5 Pokemon showed up in New Pokemon Snap earlier today. While it may be some time before Pokemon Black and White are remade, Generation 5 fans still have plenty to look forward to this year.