Pokemon 25th Anniversary Celebration!

[Pikachu315111]

The main problem with the theory is new region tends to = new generation and this would make Generation 8 very short compared to the other generations that all lasted 3-4 years in Japan, but Game Freak has broken so many patterns in the past few years I can see a game in a new region that doesn't start a new generation. The game also probably wouldn't come out until mid-November.

So:

• XY was announced January 2013 and released October 2013.
• Sun & Moon was announced February 2016 and released November 2016.
• Sword & Shield was announced February 2019 and released November 2019.

That's 3 years between major releases. If they announced the new games real early, like November 2021, it wouldn't be released until later half of 2022 which would give Sword & Shield roughly the same 3 years of time.
Also, remember that between XY & SM we had ORAS and between SM & SwSh we had USUM & LGPE (and Little Town Hero). But what did we have between SwSh and Gen 9? Only the DLC which probably probably took less development time than ORAS and LGPE (though probably not USUM, or at least around the same time). So I'd say GF actually had a few more months to work on Gen 9 than they had with the previous games (though even then I'd hope they take their time to polish the game, the excuses they came up for SwSh aren't going to cut it this time (they barely don't even cut it for SwSh...)).

It's a stretch and I still think Let's Go Johto or Sinnoh remakes are more likely but I just want to point this out.

Sinnoh remakes, eh, like in the beginning of Gen 8 I would have thought so but I've been worn down by counter arguments that they may be better to wait till after Gen 8 and we no longer have to deal with the Dynamax mechanic. Depending on the super mechanic in Gen 9 I would re-evaluate whether it feels like GF plan on doing Sinnoh remakes for Switch... OR they may wait till the 30th Anniversary (which would be DP's 20th) and likely Nintendo's next console (thus LGPE would be considered the Switch era Pokemon remakes).

So that leaves Let's Go Johto and, MAYBE. BIG MAYBE. But if they do it I hope they just decide to leave it at one game. It was clear with LGPE they did see it as a core series game until the backlash made them decide to backpedal it into it's one parallel series of "main" series. Because of that it doesn't need to be held to the same restrictions as the core series, one version would be good enough and I say let the be one of the Johto Starters and let them evolve like normal. "But what would they do about HMs"? If HMs are going to be an innate skill (and they still don't want to do items) I say bring back the Poke Pager, though since you can ride all Pokemon in Let's Go make it call for Poke Assists. Thinking Farfetch'd Cut, Machamp Strength, Mareep Flash, and Kingdra Whirlpool (who just clears the Whirlpool); Fly can be handled via a Pidgeot Taxi, Surf you can use the Poke Pager to get a Lapras Surf, and I just wouldn't just upgrade Lapras Surf so that it could freeze Waterfalls into a ramp it or whatever Water-type the player is riding can slide up.

One small argument I see going against the idea of releasing a new game in November is that it would interfere with the celebration events. Why would anybody talk about Kalos in May if a new region is suddenly revealed at the same time?

Because Kalos's celebration would be done by the time we get to November. Each region is only getting one month to itself and I imagine we're not going to get anything more complicated than merch based on the region, giveaway for that gen's Mythics, GO having outbreaks of Pokemon from that gen, Masters EX adding in trainers from that gen, and then blurbs & trivia on the main site talking about the region. It's not like they're gonna release SwSh DLC that lets us visit a recreation of a location from those regions, it's just a one-month-and-done thing so when we get to November we can be all focused on any new announcements.

Maybe we'll finally get Pokemon Sleep?

Eh, feels like they're sleeping on it.

Y'know what? I actually don't think it'd make sense for an old-gen remake of any kind to be the 25th anniversary game.

It's that same thought that made GF skip over Z for the 20th. For decade anniversaries I'm willing to let it go (well, not really, but I understand why for a decade anniversary they'd want something more impactful), but for the anniversaries inbetween? Let those go, if a game is release on a year ending in 1 through 9 they can be a upgraded version/remake or another kind of game.

time for the Fire Red/Leaf Green remake everyone has been clamoring for!

Ugh, the only way I'd take another Kanto remake is if it's a new story, we get to visit both Johto and the Sevii Islands, and how about letting us see what's to the north of Kanto beyond the mountain range. Heck, if they put something to the east than maybe they could make new Kanto Legendaries based on the Chinese Four Symbols.

I wrote a list of every possible alternative I could think of, but I am not going to post it here since that would be against the forum rules.

Eh, as long as it's reasonable and doesn't go too deep on the details I think you'd be fine posting your thoughts. But then again, if it is a new gen, the only thing to really talk about now would be what place in the world would it be based on. China is looking ever more likely, but I would also like a Greece/Italy region so we can get Pokemon (and maybe characters) based on the Greco-Roman Myths. Other interesting locations would be someplace in Latin America (or Central America, maybe even do something like a region which combines Mexico & Texas), Australia, Canada, Scandinavia... and then we have a bit controversial locations in the world which I'm not sure if would be comfortable to base a region on.

And there's also side games we could theorize on. Like we know New Snap is coming (and just got a new trailer) as well as Unite. But Pokemon has plenty of other old series they haven't touched in a while:

• Mystery Dungeon (still very much in the public eye thanks to the remakes of the original)
• Pokemon Ranger
• Pokemon Colosseum
• Pinball
• Hey You, Pikachu!
• PokePark

Releasing FireRed and LeafGreen again would be boring

Unless, Virtual Console releases of the Gen III games? They did Gen I & II, next would be III.

 

[Nickeljorn]

Proposed names: Fire Red with Extra Hot Sauce and 100% Organic All-Natural Bespoke Leaf Green

Does that make Let's Go "I can't believe it's not Butter Yellow?"

 

[Rapti]

You know, I feel like people are forgetting that we are in the midddle of a pandemic

which makes new game releases less likely and "emergency DLC" more likely


which is pretty much what I want since I only got S&S because the previous DLC appeared to promise that all pokemon would eventually be transferable

 

[dodiabla]

I'm a big meh on this anniversary so far.

Yeah, it's nice that some celebrities are signing on for the campaign and that we'll get some special raids in GO (though I don't play) and new cards but so far it looks really lackluster, at least compared to the 20th anniversary. Personally, I think that 25 is a more important milestone than 20. The thing I'm most excited for this year so far is SNAP, and I'm glad that it's coming out relatively soon (though it doesn't seem to be tied heavily to this campaign). The thing that I really do hope that they do this year is put Gen I-III on the Switch eShop.

As for the new games in November buzz, I'm not really willing to buy into the hype. Yes, we're at the point in the GF cycle that it's time for a new game, and yes, anniversaries usually lead to new generations, even though this one is still at mid-stage in its lifecycle. I would rather wait one more year for the games to be polished and functional on the Switch rather than spend a year and $90 USD to get one functional game through patches and DLC. If GF does get a new game out this year, I think it'll be called something like Dauntless Sword and Steadfast Shield and work in a similar way to BW2. They get to reuse most of the assets they developed and just re-mix them while they work on the next game. DPP remakes are a longshot, but if GF has really gotten a handle on coding for the Switch it could be possible. I think that Gen IX is next to impossible, given the pandemic, the time constraint, and the difficult development of SwSh.

 

[Antihaxxer]

I expect three things :
- Pokemon Diamond & Pearl remakes
- Let's Go Johto Marill / Togepi (or Worse Pichu / Eevee)
- New DLC for SwSh

And of course I will be disappointed !
I love Kalos the most, so I hope one day we will have Z version, but it's too early ;) And I also wish that the have a full Unys game with BW+BW2 in the same game :D

 

[Pikachu315111]

I expect three things :
- Pokemon Diamond & Pearl remakes
- Let's Go Johto Marill / Togepi (or Worse Pichu / Eevee)
- New DLC for SwSh

And of course I will be disappointed !
I love Kalos the most, so I hope one day we will have Z version, but it's too early ;) And I also wish that the have a full Unys game with BW+BW2 in the same game :D

... While you're at it you might as well be demanding for that Pokemon MMORPG which has all the regions accessible and every mechanic & feature which they've left behind. Oh and crossovers with Animal Crossing (Pokemon Crossing) and Monster Hunter (Pokemon Hunter).

 

[DHR-107]

Let's not get too deep into wishlisting things guys. There is literally nothing confirmed outside of a few songs and Snap at the moment. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see a Direct showing off more Snap Footage and likely some more information about Unite too though.

I assume this will mostly be like the other 25th Anniversary things they've shown off in the past for other franchises, but I would expect a new game somewhere a long the line (even if I'd prefer they waited another year). Let's not forget a HUGE Pikachu influx because he is Number 25 afterall on top of already being the mascot...

 

[Codraroll]

Don't forget the many loose ends in XY like the ghost girl and the note at the train station, also some of the XYZ anime's content like giving certain trainers Megas they did not have previously although that's a little more debateable/circumstantial. Either way it's obvious they definitely had Z planned seriously until something happened

Not to mention, Zygarde's Pokédex entries in X and Y pretty much spell out the plot of Z. I also highly doubt the Zygarde cell quest had much to do with Alola when it was first conceived.


Anyway, if we are going to get a main series game this year, I think it's pretty much a given that they will aim for a November release date again, so it can take full advantage of Christmas demand. Typically games are announced several months in advance to build suspense. As early as Jan-Feb if it's a new generation, later if otherwise. I seem to recall we knew next to nothing about LGPE until the month before release, and that one was announced at the end of May. I think we can adjust our expectations depending on whether something is announced by the end of February.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Anyway, if we are going to get a main series game this year, I think it's pretty much a given that they will aim for a November release date again, so it can take full advantage of Christmas demand. Typically games are announced several months in advance to build suspense. As early as Jan-Feb if it's a new game, later if otherwise. I seem to recall we knew next to nothing about LGPE until the month before release, and that one was announced at the end of May. I think we can adjust our expectations depending on whether something is announced by the end of February.

Christmas demand? Slow down there, if they're is a new gen to show off I don't think they're releasing it this year. This would just be a sneak peak of it, that's all I was thinking. Then we'd probably have to wait till Pokemon Day for them to actually show anything of substance.

 

[Codraroll]

Then we'd probably have to wait till Pokemon Day for them to actually show anything of substance.

Pokémon Day is on February 27th. If we haven't heard anything by then, a new generation can be safely ruled out in my book.

 

[BP]

dpp when

 

[I play OMs]

Here's a list of things that happened for past anniversaries, in case anyone's curious.

Fifth anniversary:

• Pikachu is one of the giant Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. (It has been every year since then, I think.)

Tenth anniversary:

• The balloon is replaced with another one, resembling a Pikachu chasing a Pokéball. (Same source as above.)
• The tenth anniversary also has a logo.
• Tenth anniversary event distributions are listed here.

Fifteenth anniversary:

• Relatively little happened. No fancy balloon update, no 15th anniversary logo.
• Bulbapedia (founded in 2005) is reasonably big by this time, so they're finally a useful source of info.

Twentieth anniversary:

• Big compared to the prior ones.
• The Pokémon Company itself provides a few articles about it, if that interests you. TL;DR of the articles: They had a super bowl ad, a celebratory event at their store in New York, a 24-hour event on Twitch, special cards, a poster with all Kanto Pokémon, and Pokemon Photo Booth.
• They also had a website focused on the anniversary, pokemon20. (I'm linking to an archived version of the site, since pokemon20 now redirects to pokemon.com/us.)
• Bulbapedia has a very detailed article on the 20th anniversary.
• Pokémon Sun and Moon were released that year. (Most of you will probably know this, unless you're new-ish to Pokémon like I am.)
• Pokemon Generations is released. (It's aired much later in the year, though, so it's not clear if it's a commemoration of the anniversary.)

Comments, additions, and criticism are all welcome, especially since this list is likely very incomplete at the moment.

 

[dodiabla]

Here's a list of things that happened for past anniversaries, in case anyone's curious.

Fifth anniversary:

• Pikachu is one of the giant Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. (It has been every year since then, I think.)

Tenth anniversary:

• The balloon is replaced with another one, resembling a Pikachu chasing a Pokéball. (Same source as above.)
• The tenth anniversary also has a logo.
• Tenth anniversary event distributions are listed here.

Fifteenth anniversary:

• Relatively little happened. No fancy balloon update, no 15th anniversary logo.
• Bulbapedia (founded in 2005) is reasonably big by this time, so they're finally a useful source of info.

Twentieth anniversary:

• Big compared to the prior ones.
• The Pokémon Company itself provides a few articles about it, if that interests you. TL;DR of the articles: They had a super bowl ad, a celebratory event at their store in New York, a 24-hour event on Twitch, special cards, a poster with all Kanto Pokémon, and Pokemon Photo Booth.
• They also had a website focused on the anniversary, pokemon20. (I'm linking to an archived version of the site, since pokemon20 now redirects to pokemon.com/us.)
• Bulbapedia has a very detailed article on the 20th anniversary.
• Pokémon Sun and Moon were released that year. (Most of you will probably know this, unless you're new-ish to Pokémon like I am.)

Comments, additions, and criticism are all welcome, especially since this list is likely very incomplete at the moment.

Would Pokemon Generations, the animated series on Youtube, be considered part of the 20th anniversary?

 

[I play OMs]

Would Pokemon Generations, the animated series on Youtube, be considered part of the 20th anniversary?

Yeah, one second while I research it a bit. (I don't follow the spinoff series/animated series/cards/misc. merchandise very closely.)

Edit: I added it to the list.

 

[Pikachu315111]

So, McDonald's started its promotion for the 25th Anniversary by offering Pokemon cards via Happy Meals! And these aren't just a handful of cards either, they're a special promotional 25-card set of the Starters (plus Pikachu, though surprisingly no Eevee) and each Happy Meal comes with a 4-pack booster pack, though some stores are selling the booster packs separately.

Take it away Bubsy

Well, a lot actually. Recently opening up Pokemon TCG cards has actually become super popular, notably on Twitch. This in turn has also reinvigorated the value of Pokemon cards as many more people are realizing that the Pokemon Company has done a lot with the TCG including super rare & secret rare cards with nice artwork or visual effects (and of course the old cards are also rising in price again, and not just the rare ones).

So, you have the current craze of opening TCG cards on Twitch is getting massive amount of views and the rare cards are going for a lot of money, you can probably see where this is going:

• McDonald's Pokémon Promotion Taken Over by Scalpers and Aggressive Adults
• Adults are ruining McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meal promotion
• The Pokémon Happy Meal at McDonald's is getting ruined by greedy adults
• McDonald's 25th anniversary Pokemon cards are being bought out by scalpers
• Not even McDonald's Pokémon Happy Meals are safe from scalpers
• Pokémon Fans in Uproar Over McDonald’s Happy Meal Card Scalping

Yup, oh, and BTW, all this has also caused a Pokemon Card shortage:

• Pokemon Co. apologizes for Pokemon TCG stock shortages
• The Pokémon Company addresses increased Pokémon TCG demand, vows to print more cards
• Pokemon TCG Cards Are Being Reprinted To Combat Scalpers
• The Pokémon Company Addresses TCG Product Shortage
• The Pokémon Company is reprinting trading cards due to high demand

NOW, before anyone says I'm poo-pooing the idea, I think this idea has merit... but it shouldn't be exclusively McDonalds. Like, a way to do this would be having multiple locations giving away booster packs (which should also contain more cards, like at least 6) of the 25 Starters (and Pikachu). Fast food places (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's), popular convenience stores (7-11, Sonic), department stores (Walmart, Target), and of course the comic book & hobby stores that usually sell TCG packs. In addition to this, to encourage people to visit these locations, each place can have their own exclusive card (not of a Starter, those would be part of the "basic" set, the exclusive card which just be another popular com mon like Eevee, Togepi, Mareep, Riolu, Zorua, etc.) which you're guaranteed to get (I think being this is the anniversary that Pokemon can dish out the bit of extra cash to personalize the booster packs that way). In this way I think it would at least keep the Streamers and Scalpers from buying up ALL the stock.

But, yeah, GREAT start to the 25th Anniversary.

 

[R_N]

The card shortage has been an issue for months, likely as an issue with the pandemic impacting manufacturing and shipment. They just decided to put up an official notice about it today.

 

[R_N]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1359881069382815748

 

[Antihaxxer]

I don't know this Post Malone (I live in France). He seems to be a rapper ?

 

[R_N]

I don't know this Post Malone (I live in France). He seems to be a rapper ?

Yes he's a popular rapper in the states, though he also does other songwriting and not just rap

 

[Pikachu315111]

Haven't checked the main site hub in a while, seems like they added quite a few things:

EVENTS:
Nothing major here, just the advertisement for the McDonald's Happy Meal promotion (which I discussed above in a not so positive light), Pokemon GO's GO Tour, the Singing Pikachu (brought up in the Event Thread), and in Pokemon TV part of the site picked out the cameo episodes where Ash's past companions make a reappearance (Todd in Johto, Misty in Hoenn, May in Sinnoh, Dawn in Unova, etc.)

REGIONS:
Now this is a bit more interesting. This is the sub-hub for the Region Exhibit which starts with Galar in March. Each region is represented by a cute image of the Starters, something representing/introduced that generation, and a small introductory paragraph about the region... which actually include some interesting trivia some people may not have known (mostly for the regions based on Japan)!

• Galar:
  * Image: Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble making curry.
• Alola:
  * Image: Litten, Rowlet, and Popplio posing with a giant Electrium Z-Crystal.
• Kalos:
  * Image: Fennekin, Chespin, and Froakie around a giant purple Mega Stone.
• Unova:
  * Image: Snivy, Oshawott, and Tepig dressed up for a Pokemon Musical.
• Sinnoh:
  * Image: Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup getting some giant Poffins for a giant Poffin Case.
  * Trivia: Sinnoh is based on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
• Hoenn:
  * Image: Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip around a giant Pokeblock Case.
  * Trivia: Hoenn is based on Japanese island of Kyushu.
• Johto:
  * Image: Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita around a giant Pokemon Egg.
  * Trivia: Johto is based on the Kansai region of Japan.
• Kanto:
  * Image: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle holding up the Gen I Pokedex.
  * Trivia: Kanto is based on a region of Japan with the same name, Kanto.

While probably not the first time, I think this may be the only feature on the site which mentions the areas of Japan which the Japanese-based regions are based on (the big selling point of Unova and regions after was the real world location they were based on so was part of the advertising).

Otherwise it has nothing now, we'll come back March.

MUSIC:
So we finally have the first performer announced: Post Malone. It's going to be a virtual concert (with a rather uncanny valley virtual avatar of Post Malone) on February 27th at 7 PM EST/4 PM PST (though if you can't remember they also have a handy countdown clock on the site with links to Youtube (oddly just Youtube, not the official English Pokemon channel), Pokemon's official Twitch, and funny enough the home page of the 25th Anniversary Hub).

It says it's going to be a massive online party with unexpected surprises and at the end of the concert will be more P25 Music announcements.

If you haven't heard of Post Malone, don't worry, I didn't either. Well, I knew his name and know his songs... I just didn't know HE was the one that MADE those songs. His best known songs you've probably heard are "Circle", "Better Now", and co-write Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's "Sunflower" with Swae Lee.

Malone had a quick interview with Billboard.com about the announcement. It doesn't reveal much, but it reveals Malone's connection to the franchise such as owning a Game Boy Color to play Pokemon (though doesn't mention what version(s) he has).

PRODUCTS:
Nothing really here yet aside the Jumbo Cards promotion (oddly no link to where you can buy the cards and the album they're made to go in) and some logos for brands involved with anniversary though none that I hadn't mentioned in my first post.

And after that is the usual links to the official Pokemon Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Actually Twitter announced another product tie-in: OppoSuits (a suit-based fashion clothing company) have made a Pokemon Suit featuring the Kanto Starters & Pikachu. It's certainly a suit, though I don't think one you'd be wearing to any formal event... or casual for that matter.

 

[Antihaxxer]

If you haven't heard of Post Malone, don't worry, I didn't either. Well, I knew his name and know his songs... I just didn't know HE was the one that MADE those songs. His best known songs you've probably heard are "Circle", "Better Now", and co-write Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's "Sunflower" with Swae Lee.

You're right and I really like the 3 songs you mention ;)

 

[pokemon4eva]

Well, 14 days for Pokemon Day. Are you excited? Afraid?

 

[Pikachu315111]

Well, 14 days for Pokemon Day. Are you excited? Afraid?

Excitafraid. Or maybe Afraixcited.

 

[R_N]

Neutral
I will always on some level look forward to a Pokemon game but I dont expect anything they show to wow me, DP Remakes or otherwise. I expect no huge leaps forward in terms of visuals or gameplay but I sure do expect a lot of complaining

 

[Pikachu315111]

but I sure do expect a lot of complaining

Oh expecting that is cheating. It's like the middle space on a bingo card. Them doing or not doing the Sinnoh remakes will fulfill the requirement alone:

• Don't do Sinnoh Remakes: "Come on GF, when we going to go back to Sinnoh? Gigantamax Sinnoh Starters and Spacetime Trio + Arceus would be shweet!"
• Does do Sinnoh Remakes: "NO, wait for next gen, I don't want Dynamax s*** in my Sinnohs!"