What Nintendo's next console means for Pokemon

Is there hope for a Fall 2024 remake release?

Author

Cooltrainer Ace
May 09, 2024 • Estimated Read Time: 10 minutes

Welcome back to another week of Pokémon news served up fresher than a Slowpoke tail served on a bed of Bellsprout leaves.

Don’t judge me. It’s time we normalize what people are actually eating in the Pokémon world.

This week’s rundown (estimated read time 7 minutes):

  • Finally, legit news about the Switch successor

  • Prepare for 7-star Primarina

  • Cooltrainer Chronicles Part 10! 🤯 

  • New: What I’m listening to

News about the next-gen Nintendo console

Who had random announcement about the next gen Nintendo Switch from the President of Nintendo on their bingo card for this week?

Announced via Tweet, on Monday, here’s the full quote for anyone using a screen reader or lazy loader:

This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo. We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015. We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.

And since this is the Victory Road, the question is: what does this mean for Pokemon games?

There are three things to pay attention to re: this news and upcoming Pokemon releases.

The announcement timeline.

The Japanese fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31, giving Nintendo 10 months to unveil the Switch successor.

Now, I don’t put stock in most “leaks” out there, but one source claims a March 2025 release for the new console. This sounds like a good bet, but so does later in 2025 to capture the holiday season hype.

An early spring 2025 release clouds the picture when we try to guess the Legends Z-A date and the potential/possibility for a surprise Fall 2024 remake game (we’ll discuss both next).

Alignment with a potential Legends Z-A release

Another recent “leak” out there claims Legends Z-A won’t come out before Pokémon Day 2025 (February 27).

I’m not buying it. Yes, the Z-A teaser trailer’s mention of “Switch systems” could be a hint at compatibility on the next console. It could also reference the Switch Lite, Switch, and Switch OLED, too.

Given that both the Switch successor and Legends Z-A will come out in 2025, it’s likely that Game Freak creates a version of the game optimized for the new console, even if it doesn’t release at the same time as the original Switch version does. That means there’s no reason to delay Z-A until the new console arrives.

If the Switch successor doesn’t come before Fall 2025, the argument is even stronger for an early 2025 Legends Z-A release. And if backwards compatibility exists, gamers would have no reason to wait for the new console before grabbing Z-A.

I’m still counting on Legends Z-A before Pokémon Day 2025.

P.S. Here’s my full post-Pokemon Day Legends Z-A breakdown if you’re curious for more.

What about a potential Pokémon remake in Fall 2024?

I’m not well-versed on the leaks surrounding this pipe dream theory. That said, I can’t count it out until the end of this month. With June’s Nintendo Direct likely to feature the final big release announcements for the Switch console, May is about the last chance to squeeze in news of any Pokémon release coming in 2024 that is named TCG Pocket.

A quick prompt to my ole pal Chat GPT found the following announcement dates for past games:

  • June 2017: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon announced.

  • May 2018: Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee announced.

  • June 2020: New Pokémon Snap announced.

This gives life (for now) to those insisting remakes are still in the cards for the Switch. Technically, I guess we could get a surprise drop announced in August with a November release. I wouldn’t take those odds at the Game Corner, though.

Prepare for Fairy Tera Primarina

Dude, where’s my Feraligatr? The hope of a Dark Tera Gen 2 gator will live on in my dreams, I guess.

Instead, we get my least favorite starter (don’t you dare call them First Partner) Pokémon ever: Primarina, running Thursday, May 9, at 5 p.m. PDT to Sunday, May 12 at 4:59 p.m. PDT, then again Thursday, May 16 at 5 p.m. PDT to Sunday, May 19 at 4:59 p.m. PDT.

During the second weekend 5-Star Blissey returns if you need to reload on Tera Shards and Exp. candy.

Since Primarina has access to a pair of Psychic-type moves, using a Poison-type against it is automatically out. That leaves our stalwart friends, the Steel-types to bring home the W for us this time around. Let’s go full metal!

PKMNcast recommends the following builds to knock that prima donna down a peg. Check out their video for a full breakdown of each build (and others).

  • Zacian

  • Tinkaton

  • Copperajah

  • Perrserker

The Cooltrainer Chronicles, pt. 10

“Nigel,” I said. “I’m going to name you Nigel.” The tiny purple Pokémon squeaked and cowered on the floor.

“It’s okay, little buddy,” I said, squatting down and extending the back of my hand.

The Nidoran trembled for a moment, then gave me a cautious look. He sniffed, revealing a fine pair of incisors. After a moment’s hesitation, he stretched out and touched the tips of my fingers with his nose.

“See?” I said. “Nothing to worry about now. Those nasty Spearow won’t bother you anymore.”

Still on alert, the Nidoran examined our surroundings, now more curious than concerned. A slight rasping sound rose and fell as he breathed. It looked like his nose was running too. 

“What do you think, are you a Nigel?” I asked.

Sniffing around, the Nidoran gave me a sidelong look and squeaked. It didn’t sound unhappy so I took it for consent.

“Okay then, Nigel, let’s get outta here.”

I reached forward, careful to hold my arms out and move slow. When Nigel didn’t act like he’d bite me, scratch me, or stab me with his poisonous horn, I scooped him up, careful to avoid all the spiky parts. The rattling in his chest and constant shallow breathing was even more noticeable while I held him in my arms.

Reality struck as I reached for the door. I held my very own Pokémon in my arms. Sure, both the means I’d captured it and the Pokémon itself were unconventional but that didn’t matter—I’d done it. 

I looked down again at the fragile Nidoran in my arms. “This is it,” I told him, “today, we took the first steps into a brand new life.”

Nigel sniffed and squeaked—pretty much his response to everything so far, but I decided to view it as enthusiasm.

My stomach rumbled, cutting through the sentimentality and reminding me that, aside from Nigel, three PokeBalls, no food, and a backpack with one change of clothes summed up pretty much everything I had to my name.

Back in the lobby, I returned Nigel to his PokeBall to rest and ordered some dinner. When one of the other Center attendants wheeled the meal out to my table, I casually asked how long someone could stay at the same Pokémon Center.

“Most places are three nights,” the guy said, pushing his square glasses back up the bridge of his too-round nose. “Since we’re located inside the Indigo Academy campus, the policy is one night here, though.”

I thanked him, doing my best to play off my disappointment. The last thing I wanted was to go back to Viridian City. 

To get anywhere like Pewter, Pallet, or Johto I needed money. Not just for me, but potions for Nigel, and whatever other medicine he required. The stuff Nurse Joy had given me wouldn’t last for long and wouldn’t be on the house next time, since Nigel’s ailments weren’t life threatening.

“I guess the first thing is to figure out is just how tough training you is going to be,” I said, rolling Nigel’s PokeBall between my hands while I weighed my options. 

He’d get trashed in a trainer battle. We had to work our way up on low level wild Pokémon, nice and slow.

Card of the Week

Now that’s what I call smolder: Hearthflame Mask Ogerpon ex is ready to go full Smaug on your opponents, except, you know, he won’t get KO-ed by a single random arrow. I love the stained glass style artist Yano Keiji used in this design.

Random encounters around the internet

What I’m listening to:

Pokémon Main Theme

Alter Loy, Potion Beats

Obscure Pokémon Fact (from u/Mx_Toniy_4869)

Until next time,
Cooltrainer “next-gen Pokémon Master” Ace