Headed into the recent Pokemon Direct, fan demand for remakes ofPokemon DiamondandPearlhit an all-time high, but to no avail. The show basically outlined howPokemoncontent would be released over 2020, with aremake of the originalPokemon Mystery Dungeoncoming to Switch andPokemon SwordandShieldgetting details for its post-launch support plans. This is the first time in franchise history that, opposed to a special third edition likeEmeraldorPlatinumor a sequel likeUltra SunandUltra Moon, DLC will appear in a mainline Pokemon game. But that doesn’t bode well for the future of Sinnoh.
As it stands,Pokemon DiamondandPearlare the next entries in line to get remade, as these remakes crop up every 4-6 years or so and prior generations have already been explored.Fire RedandLeaf Greenreleased in 2004,Heart GoldandSoul Silvercame out in 2010, andOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphiremade their way to the 3DS in 2014. With that in mind, this pattern of release suggests the fan-desired remakes would hit in 2020, yet a few developments old and new completely throw this out the window.
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First,Pokemon Let’s Go PikachuandLet’s Go Eeveehave to be added to the equation, namely because they areremakes ofPokemon Yellow,Pokemon RedandBlue’s third edition released in 2018. If this is the start of a new trend, that means remakes ofPokemon CrystalandPokemon Emeraldare not out of the question, so instead of remakingDiamondandPearl, it could be that prior generations' special editions will be getting the extra treatment. Now, one installment isn’t necessarily enough to imply this to truly be the case, but as remakes falling into the 4-6 year aforementioned window, that could easily pushDiamondandPearlinto 2022.
Of course, many do not seeLet’s Go PikachuandLet’s Go Eeveein the same vein as traditional remakes, but even factored out, the major change in tradition withPokemon SwordandShield’s post-launch content paints a grim picture forDiamondandPearlremakes. Game Freak is going to be busy over 2020 providingSwordandShieldplayers with new content inThe Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. The Expansion Pass then delaysDiamondandPearlout of 2020, as there may not be enough resources to fuel all this development.
Looking over the past decade ofPokemonmay shed further light on the situation.BlackandWhitereleased in 2010, with its sequels coming out in 2021.XandYlaunched in 2013 (to never have a special revisit) beforeOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphirelaunched in 2014. 2016 kicked off withSunandMoon, 2017 followed up withUltra SunandMoon, and 2018 hit with theLet’s Goremakes. 2019 started the latest generation ofPokemon SwordandShieldwhich continues on into 2020.
This pattern shows remakes arriving after special editions (countingLet’s Go), so withSwordandShieldset to dominate 2020 with DLC, then 2021 is logically the earliest it could arrive. And that’s not considering the remake release pattern, just the core pattern. As such, expectingPokemon DiamondandPearlremakesto drop before 2021 or 2022 doesn’t seem to be realistic.
Of course, withSwordandShield’s expansion passtossing everything out the windows in terms of special editions, it could be that Game Freak surprises everyone by announcing it later this year. Having aMystery Dungeonremake, a full DLC run forSwordandShield, and remakes ofDiamondandPearlall in one year seems far less likely, though. It would be a fantastic start to the new decade for Pokemon if so, for sure, but that seems like a pipe dream, as is expecting these remakes any time soon.
Remakes ofPokemon DiamondandPearlare not known to be in development.
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