With less than a month left until the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield's next expansion, The Crown Tundra, fans are wondering what's next for the series. The Pokémon Company's upcoming New Pokémon Snap seems to be next in line, and other games like Detective Pikachu 2 and Pokémon Sleep have already been announced. However, these spin-offs are not necessarily what the audience is interested in. All eyes are cast in the direction of the next RPG entries in the series. While a new game in 2021 is likely, those hoping for Pokémon Generation IX likely have to wait a bit longer.

Wrapping Up Sword & Shield

Pokemon Hop Sword Shield Battle

Game Freak still has plans for Pokémon Sword & Shield before the end of the year. Naturally, the most substantial is the upcoming Crown Tundra DLC, which will wrap up the two-part expansion pass that began with June's Isle of Armor. In addition to that, a complete edition of both Pokémon Sword and Shield is slated for this November, offering the respective base games and DLC in one package.

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Bearing this in mind, it's unlikely that Galar will receive a third version, similar to Pokémon Platinum. That follow-up to Diamond & Pearl was the last third version, as both Black & White and Sun & Moon received dual follow-ups, while X & Y simply ended the Kalos adventures there. As such, it doesn't seem likely that the third version trope will pop up again here. Likewise, since Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon launched only a year after the base versions, it seems fairly clear that the development of the Expansion Pass has taken the place of a sequel game. That is perhaps for the better, as it frees up more development resources which can be allocated to Gen IX.

Pokémon Generation IX

There are 28 forms of Unown in Pokemon

The next full generation will most likely not hit the Switch until 2022. Keeping the development cycles of past Pokémon titles in mind, there has been about a three year gap between generations. Pokémon X and Y launched in 2013, Pokémon Sun and Moon launched in 2016 and Pokémon Sword and Shield launched in 2019. As such, expecting the next generation in 2021 feels decidedly too soon.

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However, a longer wait isn't a bad thing. Some players were disappointed by the lacking graphical fidelity of Sword and Shield, which likely will be ironed out in the next entry. On the whole, Gen IX will be more polished and expansive, as Game Freak has historically used the first core Pokémon games on a piece of hardware to learn the system's development nuances before mastering them with the second set of titles. With the heavy emphasis on nonlinear, open spaces in Sword and Shield's Wild Area and DLC, it's likely that these ideas will also be doubled-down upon for the next generation.

Assuming that game will launch in 2022, all eyes are focused on the 2021 Pokémon game. Save for 2011 and 2015, there has been a new Pokémon RPG released every year since 2009. It's unlikely that another year will be skipped unless COVID-19 is causing development delays. Barring this, it's safe to assume that Game Freak has something planned for 2021, and there are two core theories about what is coming next.

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Sinnoh Remakes and Let's Go Johto?

The first theory is fairly inescapable online: Sinnoh remakes. Ever since Game Boy Advance's  Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green, each Nintendo handheld has gotten a full remake of a past Pokémon generation. The Nintendo DS got HeartGold and SoulSilver and the 3DS got Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, so naturally it's time to revisit Diamond & Pearl. Considering this trend as well as the intense fan speculation and desire, Sinnoh remakes in 2021 seem like a safe bet.

At the same time, 2018's Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee have invited speculation about a potential Johto release that re-imagines Gold and Silver. With only one Let's Go title, it's unclear whether such a sequel will come to fruition. Considering that Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee clearly ran on a modified 3DS engine with heavy Pokémon Go integration, the games may have just been a stopgap to get Pokémon on the Switch prior to Sword and Shield. Still, with how creative and refreshing the Let's Go titles were, Game Freak may want to recreate that nostalgia-driven, casual fun in the Johto region.

At this point, everything is speculative until an official announcement. However, with the high Pokémon sales figures and potent franchise excitement, it's unlikely that the community will have to wait long to hear what's coming next.

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