There are quite a few things we expect and hope to see from the upcoming Pokémon Presents.
On Friday, The Pokémon Company International announced a Pokémon Presents live stream for August 8th, 2023. While the details are sparse, it’s pretty obvious what the presentation will definitely have during its 35-minute show.
In addition to the obvious things, there are quite a few wishlist items that fans of the series would hope to see. I recommend that you temper your expectations because we’re likely not going to get any announcements for a new mainline game in the series. However, there are probably going to be some good surprises and treats for those that are fans of the franchise.
We could go into detail on non-gaming stuff, like the trading card game or the anime. We could do an entire article like this on just the TCG, for instance.
But, we’ll only be focusing this article mostly on the video game and digital-related aspects of the presentation. Don’t worry, we do talk about other things too.
As always, take anything we say with a grain of salt. Since it hasn’t happened yet, this is all speculation.
Most Likely: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC details
The presentation is 35 minutes long. If it doesn’t have anything about the quickly-upcoming downloadable content for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, I’ll eat my hat.
The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC comes in two parts: The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk. The Teal Mask, marked for Fall 2023, focuses on a Japanese-style village with a rich history and tons of real-world parallels. Aside from the Pokémon already shown off in previous trailers and promo materials, it’s highly likely that we will see even more announcements as it draws super close to release.
The Indigo Disk is set for Winter 2023 currently and takes place at a different academy on the water with a ton of biomes. We’ll definitely get a full release date for the first part and, at the least, a month for the second part.
We Hope: Classic Pokémon games on Nintendo Switch Online is just a must
Nintendo Switch Online has been doing some great things with the Pokémon games of yesteryear. When the Nintendo 64 side of it was announced, they were quick to mention Pokémon Snap.
Several months ago, we also saw the original Pokémon Stadium hit the platform as well, plus hints of seeing Stadium 2 in the future. But, do you know what is notably absent from the Game Boy section of Nintendo Switch Online? Anything Pokémon.
The first two generations made their way to the Nintendo 3DS via Virtual Console back in 2016. Now that Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games are available on the Switch, it’ll be a great time to bring in all of the same games and the third-generation games as well.
The Virtual Console versions allowed Pokémon Bank to transfer from the classics to modern games. Pokémon HOME could get the same mentality.
I’m just saying. This is money left on the table right now.
Most Likely: Pokémon Concierge is a claymation show with a great game premise
I know that I said we wouldn’t talk much about non-video game things. But, I wanted to include this because of the adorable claymation style that’s going into Pokémon Concierge.
The upcoming Netflix series focuses on a hotel run in the Pokémon world called the Pokémon Resort. Haru, the character we follow in the story, deals with guests and their partner Pokémon.
The Netflix show is definitely on the radar to make an appearance during the Pokémon Presents presentation. However, I may be just theorizing here. But, this would make for a really cute hotel management sim game premise as well. There’s always a chance it could happen.
At the least, we’ll likely get a short trailer for the show.
We Hope: Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness remake, port, or sequel, please
It’s crazy to me that The Pokémon Company hasn’t at least ported Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness at some point. This Nintendo Gamecube title has more than enough of a cult fanbase that it should have made some sort of modern appearance.
But, alas, nothing! I’d love to see Pokémon go all in and announce a port or remaster of the original game, maybe also Pokémon Colosseum, and then tease a sequel.
For those of you that missed out on this RPG, it follows a completely separate adventure from the mainline titles of its time. Being a spiritual successor to the Stadium games itself, the story focused more on battling than the grand adventure of the other main titles.
Make it happen, TPCi!
Most Likely: Detective Pikachu Returns could get a new trailer or details
About a month ago or so, we got a trailer for Detective Pikachu Returns. This follow-up to the 2016 Nintendo 3DS game is likely to make another appearance. There could be another trailer or just more information about the game.
We already have a release date known for October 6th, 2023. But, this could be a story or gameplay trailer.
We Hope: A Detective Pikachu follow-up movie could be teased
2019’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu film was a fantastically done movie with top-tier actors and well-made CGI that brought the fandom that many of us have had for decades into the real world.
Soon after, rumors of a follow-up movie quickly came… and went. It’s been four years. Isn’t it about time that we heard some muffled details for another theatrically released Pokémon movie?
If you saw the film, you likely know how it ends. A future movie could be taken in a direction to classic regions like Red and Blue’s Kanto or beyond.
I know I’m not talking into an echo chamber when I say that I want to see Red and Giovanni square off in live action.
Most Likely: Pokémon World Championships is only a few days after the presentation
The Pokémon World Championships (known by the fans as “Worlds”) is coming to Yokohama, Japan from August 11th to 13th. It’s a big deal. They’re going all out for it.
If you’re unaware, Pokémon is very competitive, both in video games and with their trading card game. The fact that this presentation is mere days before Worlds is highly sus.
We could get announcements for games during the event itself, or just a tease for a future TCG set. But, putting this presentation so close to it sets off all the alarms in my head that it’s related to Worlds.
We Hope: Pokémon Trading Card Game RPG like the old Game Boy Games
Speaking of Game Boy games earlier, the Pokemon Trading Card Game was a Game Boy Color game that allowed players to use the first handful of sets of the TCG in an RPG. In Japan, there was even a follow-up title that never got a western release.
I’d like to see the original game and the sequel make their way to our Nintendo Switch Online platform. But, I also want to see a new sequel.
Sure, we have the mobile title Pokémon TCG Live for those wanting to play digitally against others around the world. But, we want a story-focused RPG as well.
Most Likely: Pokémon mobile game news is always mentioned in these streams
As always, Pokémon GO is likely going to get a little detailing during the Pokémon Presents. It could be as simple as showing off details for a future in-game event, announcing some sort of GO Fest, or teasing new Pokémon coming to the game.
It is about time that we start seeing more Generation 9 Pokémon from Scarlet and Violet. It’s probable that we will on August 8th.
In addition, it’s likely that we will see an appearance of the recently released Pokémon Sleep app and Pokémon TCG Live. It’s plausible that we may see TCG Live finally get a Switch version teased or released in preparation for the Pokémon World Championships a few days later.
Whatever it is, tune in to the Official Pokémon YouTube channel on August 8th. The presentation is 35 minutes and starts at 6AM PST.