Pokémon Presents (February 2022): Why You Won’t See Gen 9 Revealed
A new Pokémon Presents event is due to place on Pokémon Day and fans are wondering whether the Gen 9 Pokémon games will be announced at the event. It’s unlikely that the Gen 9 games will appear outside of a fleeting mention, as it’s still too early for the next generation of Pokémon games to hit the Nintendo Switch. There are lots of players who are still completing their adventures in the Hisui and Sinnoh regions, and there is plenty more content that could be added to those lands, in lieu of a full new generation of games.
The Pokémon series has seen incredible success on the Nintendo Switch. Pokémon Sword and Shield outsold Gold and Silver, making them the second best-selling entries in the history of the series. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have already sold over thirteen million copies in the space of a few months, helped by the fact that they launched during the 2021 holiday season. The sales figures for Pokémon Legends: Arceus haven’t been released yet, but all of the data released so far suggests that it’s going to be a huge title and will easily break into the top ten best-selling Nintendo Switch games. There is also the continuing support of Pokémon Unite on the system, which has a dedicated fanbase and receives regular content updates. The Pokémon franchise is printing money on the Switch and there are likely plenty more Pokémon games on the way for the system.
The Pokémon Presents for February 2022 is slated to be fourteen minutes long and will feature different announcements about the Pokémon franchise. Unlike the Nintendo Directs, the Pokémon Presents showcases are not limited to video games, which means any of the Pokémon multimedia projects could appear, including new movie announcements. The Pokémon Presents announcement caused Gen 9 to trend, as some fans believe that it will be revealed during the show. There are lots of games that could be announced during the Pokémon Presents, but it’s still too early for a Gen 9 reveal. The Pokémon Company can still make money through DLC updates to existing games that have a large userbase, and Nintendo’s stacked schedule means that there’s no rush to get a new set of games out for the holiday season.
Pokémon BDSP & Legends: Arceus Don’t Have DLC (Yet)
The biggest reason why the Gen 9 Pokémon games won’t be revealed is that The Pokémon Company just had several major releases over the past few months. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launched in November, while Pokémon Legends: Arceus launched in January. Pokémon BDSP were developed by ILCA, while Pokémon Legends: Arceus was developed by Game Freak. It’s likely that Gen 9 is in development, but Game Freak will have been pooling its resources to make sure Pokémon Legends: Arceus launched on time. It’s unlikely that Gen 9 is close to being released.
What’s more likely is that the Pokémon Presents showcase will feature DLC content for Pokémon Legends: Arceus and maybe even Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The Pokémon Company has gone all-in with DLC content for its games, as can be seen with the Expansion Pass for Pokémon Sword and Shield. A significant DLC expansion for Pokémon Legends: Arceus could be the big announcement of the Pokémon Presents in February 2022 and there is certainly enough room for new content in the game. Pokémon Home integration for Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl would also be a huge announcement. There’s also a chance that New Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Unite will receive new content updates, and the world may finally learn more about the release of Pokémon Sleep and the sequel to Detective Pikachu.
Nintendo’s 2022 Schedule Has No Reason To Announce Gen 9 Just Yet
The Pokémon franchise was a major asset during the 2021 holiday season, as Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. It’s clear that there was a rush to get the game to store shelves on time, as the day one patch added a ton of content and fixed numerous issues. The patch added a title sequence and multiplayer content to the game, which shows the constraints the developers must have been under to have the game ready for the holiday season. This rush paid off, as Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is already one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games of all time, entering the top ten with 13.97 million units sold.
There isn’t as much of a need for a big Pokémon game for the holiday 2022 season. Nintendo likely already has the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ready for that spot, with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 not too far behind it. It’s highly unlikely that The Pokémon Company has a whole new generation of Pokémon games ready before the holiday season, so there’s no rush to get another Pokémon game out so soon. There are already plenty of Switch games coming out in 2022 and a rushed set of Pokémon games would only damage the brand.
Gen 9 Will Likely Appear On Pokémon Day 2023
The absolute best that fans can expect during the Pokémon Presents (February 2022) is a short teaser for the Gen 9 Pokémon games. It’s more likely that they will be saved for next year’s Pokémon Day when the developers have had more time to get the game ready and have a better idea of its release window. 2022 can be used to promote all of the existing Pokémon games, as there is still plenty of life in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as the ongoing live service Pokémon games, like Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Masters EX, and Pokémon GO. A new Pokémon spin-off game could be announced, such as the rumored sequel to Pokkén Tournament, but it’s just too early for the Gen 9 games.
It usually takes Game Freak several years to produce a new Pokémon game, so even a 2023 announcement isn’t set in stone. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a mainline entry, even though some fans would disagree, and it’s one of Game Freak’s most ambitious games to date. There are all kinds of rumors and speculation regarding the Gen 9 games and there’s no doubt that they’re on the way and that they will be released on the Nintendo Switch, but 2022 is a bit too soon to travel to a new region, especially when Hisui and Sinnoh are still on people’s minds.
The upcoming Pokémon Presents event will happen on February 27, 2022.
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