Summary
Pokemon Day has come and gone rather quickly thanks to the new Direct formula where announcements are made with no break between each of them, and the finale was the surprise reveal ofPokemon Legends Z-A, which will take players to a different version of Kalos' Lumiose City. The game came out of nowhere for many fans due to the insistent and longstanding rumors of newPokemonJohto and Unova titles, but both seem off the table for now seeing howPokemon Legends Z-Awas the only new game announced, and it’s slated for a 2025 release. And yet,Pokemon Legends Z-Ais sure to break traditions along the way, starting with a big streak started 28 years ago.
If Gen 9 is anything to go by, withPokemon Scarlet and Violetbreaking big traditionsmultiple times, it seems likely thatPokemon Legends Z-Awill want to innovate and experiment as much as possible. Doing so requires breaking new ground either with never-before-seen features or with changes to the existing formula, and there’s a lot to draw inspiration from for the secondPokemon Legendsgame. Sometimes, however, drastic breaks from the norm can take unexpected shapes, andPokemon Legends Z-Amay be the first time in franchise history thatPokemondoesn’t release any mainline games in two years.
Why Pokemon Legends Z-A’s Release Date Breaks a Massive Tradition
Pokemon: Mainline Games, Spin-Offs, and DLCs Explained
It’s hard to establish whetherPokemon Legends Z-Ais a mainline gamein the first place, as mainline releases typically include new generations and remakes, butPokemon Legends: Arceuschanged that definition - or at least started the conversation. Regardless, ever since the worldwide launch of the first generation of games,Pokemonhas been committed to a release schedule where there were hardly years off, and more importantly, there were never two years in a row without a major Pokemon game.
Unless new games are soon revealed or released, like the heavily rumoredPokemonGen 5 remakes,Pokemon Legends Z-Amay end up breaking one of the biggest and longest traditions in the series, with it coming two years after the latest entry in the franchise in the form ofPokemon Scarlet and Violet. From 1996 onward, there was never a time when two consecutive years had no big releases in the mainline series, andPokemon Legends Z-Ais poised to break this streak.
There are some important exceptions to note when it comes to mainline games, as it’s equally hard to determine whether releases like DLC count as mainline. This is because Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s DLCs both launched in 2023, and if they are considered mainline games -which they aren’t in this article due to their nature of additional content - then there would only really be one gap year.
Why Pokemon Skipping 2024 Spells Trouble For a Big Franchise Streak
Every Mainline Pokemon Game So Far
Since 1996, there have only been seven gap years in terms ofnewPokemonreleasesfor and within the mainline series. This number grows to nine if counting 2020 and 2023 as gap years, considering they only had DLC for Gen 8 and Gen 9, respectively. The list ofPokemonreleases so far is as follows:
1996
Red and Green
1997
1998
Red and Blue, Yellow
1999
Gold and Silver
2000
2001
2002
ìRuby and Sapphire
2003
2004
Emerald, FireRed and LeafGreen
2005
2006
Diamond and Pearl
2007
2008
2009
HeartGold and SoulSilver
2010
Black and White
2011
2012
Black 2 and White 2
2013
X and Y
2014
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
2015
2016
Sun and Moon
2017
Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
2018
Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee!
2019
Sword and Shield
2020
2021
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
2022
Legends: Arceus, Scarlet and Violet
2023
N/A (The Teal Mask + The Indigo Disk DLCs)
With this in mind, it’s easy to see that there have never been two consecutive years without brand-new games, and ifPokemon Legends Z-Ais the next in line until 2025, then this streak will be broken with 2024 having no new major releases. Barring surprise launches of new games in 2024, one ofPokemon’s biggest trendsis coming to an end, but it may mark the beginning of a new era where quality takes priority over quantity.
Pokemon Legends Z-A
The sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes Pokemon trainers back to the Kalos region’s Lumiose City.
