With just a few days left untilPokemonofficially celebrates the anniversary ofPokemon Red and Green’s original Japanese release on February 27, the long-running monster-catching franchise has seen plenty of reason to celebrate over the past year. The massively popular series released multiple games throughout 2021 and early 2022 between spinoffs likeNew Pokemon SnapandPokemon Unite, the long-awaited revival ofPokemon Diamond and Pearlremakes, and thenewest main-series gamePokemon Legends: Arceus. Now, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company are gearing up to celebrate the annual festivities with a line-up of announcements.Pokemon’s 25th anniversary festivities were as much a celebration of the franchise’s storied history as a look ahead to what’s in store for the world ofPokemonin the future. ThePokemon Trading Card Gamesaw the release of a 25th anniversary expansion with reprints of many iconic cards, while third-party developer ILCA worked with The Pokemon Company to create the highly-anticipatedPokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Now, withPokemon Legends: Arceuspresenting a new look for the franchise, the annual Pokemon Day festivities will feature a plethora of brand new reveals related toPokemon’s many games.RELATED:Hidden Pokemon Legends Arceus Room May Hint at DLC PlansA tweet posted on Monday by the official JapanesePokemonTwitter account revealed that the week leading up to the PokemonDay celebrations will feature daily announcements for many of its ongoing titles. The announcements will start on Monday withmobile gamePokemon Masters EXbeing the first title to see a new announcement. Other games included in the week of reveals will bePokemon Sword and Shield,Pokemon Cafe Mix,Pokemon Unite, thePokemon Trading Card Game, andPokemon GO, all culminating in the PokemonDay celebration on the 27th.
While the list includes many expected entries of The Pokemon Company’s ongoing games withPokemon UniteandPokemon GOincluded in the mix, the announcement of a new reveal forPokemon Sword and Shieldsticks out as the only main-series game in the set.Sword and Shieldmakes for an odd inclusion as the games have not seen any substantial new content sincethe Crown Tundra expansionin October 2020, especially with the far more recent release ofPokemon Legends: Arceus.
The annual PokemonDay festivities come at a time when fan excitement for the nearly 26-year-old franchise is running high. The release ofPokemon Legends: Arceuswas a massive successwith the game topping sales charts for January despite only releasing a few days before the month’s end.Pokemon Legends: Arceus' markedly different formula from past games has been praised by both fans and critics as a breath of fresh air for the series and many fans are hoping The Pokemon Company will build on the franchise’s new direction into the future.
