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Generation IV Remake Speculation

Will there be remakes in Gen VIII?


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My predictions for Game Freak's release schedule after the end of Q2 2021:
  • Q3 2021: Sinnoh remakes + PokéPark 4ever (a PokéPark 2 sequel for the Switch)
  • Q4 2021: No new releases
  • Q1 2022: Generation IX original games
  • Q2 2022: No new releases (again)
  • Q3 2022: No new releases (once again)
  • Q4 2022: No new releases (once more)
  • 2023: Generation IX upper games/sequels/Expansion Pass (whatever Game Freak wants to deliver)
 
My predictions for Game Freak's release schedule after the end of Q2 2021:
  • Q3 2021: Sinnoh remakes + PokéPark 4ever (a PokéPark 2 sequel for the Switch)
  • Q4 2021: No new releases
  • Q1 2022: Generation IX original games
  • Q2 2022: No new releases (again)
  • Q3 2022: No new releases (once again)
  • Q4 2022: No new releases (once more)
  • 2023: Generation IX upper games/sequels/Expansion Pass (whatever Game Freak wants to deliver)
I can't see another PokePark game happening, nor a main series coming out outside of the holiday season.
 
I don't think that it would unless they go full EA.

Aren't they pretty much there already? They already pump out yearly sequels with minimal changes as well as mobile games full of microtransactions and gacha and other such horrible practices. How much further does Pokemon have to fall really? They're pretty close to rock bottom in that area, if not already there.
 
Aren't they pretty much there already? They already pump out yearly sequels with minimal changes as well as mobile games full of microtransactions and gacha and other such horrible practices. How much further does Pokemon have to fall really? They're pretty close to rock bottom in that area, if not already there.
Dude, again, you don't know how bad things at EA are. If Pokémon was made by EA, they would be forced to speed up the development of the games until they kill the developer.
 
People compare studios to EA way too easily.

EA doesn't just churn games out; they buy promising companies then gut them and leave a hollow skin-suit named after the old developer.

Edit: The idea of gen IV remakes having DLC to add the Battle Frontier is intriguing, but I'm not sure how likely it would prove. I'd certainly find it better than nothing if it's reasonably priced.
 
Short-term profit that could very well damage the long-term profitability of the brand.
Eh... SwSh was, in my opinion, a rather hollow game that wasn't what it should have been, and was embroiled in online controversy during much of its release cycle. Yet it is one of the most successful Pokemon games to date. GO continually rakes in millions despite its microtransaction. I honestly don't think "microtransaction fueled garbage" is going to have a major impact on the brand or its reputation. I doubt most people care whether Pokemon pumps out cheap mobile games, unfortunately. Though, if UNITE sells poorly then I might have to eat my words here.

They already pump out yearly sequels with minimal changes
As much as I give GameFreak a hard time, I disagree here. Yes, some games like USUM and LGPE are rather uninnovative however, on the flip-side, I'd argue that SM and SwSh did a little bit more than "minimal changes" to the Pokemon formula. SwSh itself even seems like one of the more innovative Pokemon games now that I think about it, even if much of the innovation is focused on smaller things such as TRs or the mechanics of the PC.
 
Crown Tundra Datamine Spoiler:
It's been pointed out by many other people that the Expansion Pass datamine showed Rampardos & Bastiodon are the only fossil Pokémon lines that are not going to be added to SwSh's Pokedex in Crown Tundra. I think that could ironically confirm that Gen IV remakes are in fact planned to come later this Gen, because if they weren't, you'd think they'd just include those two fossils along with all the others.
Then there was also this tweet in April:
Screenshot 2020-07-05 14.55.39.png

Other DLC Spoilers:
There's a few other possible hints that were pointed out by HoopsandHiphop, like the new Regis & the whole Vespiquen Honey part of the Isle of Armor story, but I'm more inclined to say those might have been coincidental and/or planted.
Right now as things stand, my hope is that GameFreak/TPC have been listening to the requests all these years, and they've been saving DP remakes for 2021 which also happens to be the 25th anniversary of the series, and when the games do finally come out they will be much more polished & true to the originals than Let's Go was, and will turn out to have been well worth the long wait.

But, my fear is that those games were originally planned for Gen 7 (which would explain all the cryptic Sinnoh hints back then), but they ultimately went the way of Mega Flygon & Pokémon Z, and now that the series has transitioned to the Switch & uses a fully 3D engine, there are no longer any plans to remake Gen IV (at least not in the near future).
 
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It's been pointed out by many other people that the Expansion Pass datamine showed Rampardos & Bastiodon are the only fossil Pokémon lines that are not going to be added to SwSh's Pokedex in Crown Tundra. I think that could ironically confirm that Gen IV remakes are in fact planned to come later this Gen, because if they weren't, you'd think they'd just include those two fossils along with all the others.

Then there was also this tweet in April:

There's a few other possible hints that were pointed out by HoopsandHiphop, like the new Regis & the whole Vespiquen Honey part of the Isle of Armor story, but I'm more inclined to say those might have been coincidental and/or planted.

Right now as things stand, my hope is that GameFreak/TPC have been listening to the requests all these years, and they've been saving DP remakes for 2021 which also happens to be the 25th anniversary of the series, and when the games do finally come out they will be much more polished & true to the originals than Let's Go was, and will turn out to have been well worth the long wait.

But, my fear is that those games were originally planned for Gen 7 (which would explain all the cryptic Sinnoh hints back then), but they ultimately went the way of Mega Flygon & Pokémon Z, and now that the series has transitioned to the Switch & uses a fully 3D engine, there are no longer any plans to remake Gen IV (at least not in the near future).
Pokémon regularly tweets about game release anniversaries without any hidden meaning, but
Crown Tundra Datamine Spoiler:
the absence of Rampardos and Bastiodon
does make me raise an eyebrow.
 
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People compare studios to EA way too easily.

EA doesn't just churn games out; they buy promising companies then gut them and leave a hollow skin-suit named after the old developer.

Even without that element, people make the comparison too easily. I'm not sure a lot of the people making EA comparisons have actually engaged with EA on a meaningful level.

Like, some Pokémon fans like to pass around that "cost analysis" of Gen 8 which adds up the price of the base game, plus the DLC, plus NSO, plus HOME and Bank subscriptions, which I find disingenuous in a few ways (NSO isn't really Game Freak's choice, HOME is free unless you need mass storage/want to transfer Pokémon from older games, and you'd only be using Bank if you had old Pokémon to transfer in the first place, at which point why not also include the cost of a previous generation game as well, since without one, Bank is functionally useless), but even if we take it at face value, it reaches a total of about $130 USD (60 + 30 + 20 for a full-year NSO sub + 15 for a full-year HOME sub + 5 for a Bank sub). Which, okay, that's a lot (and hey, I'd even agree that I think the base game is a little overpriced and that the HOME sub is much too steep).

But something that my wife, a big Sims player, has ranted about to me before is how absolutely insane it is to buy all the "components" to The Sims 4, and man does it make Game Freak look like they're running a humble little snow-cone stand by comparison. $50 for the base game. Then you have three forms of paid additional content - Expansion Packs (priced at $40 - yes, DLC for the Sims costs as much as a whole 3DS game!), Game Packs (priced at $20), and Stuff Packs (priced at $10). Currently, The Sims 4 is at a point where, in order to own all of the above for PC, you're paying a total of $660 USD, at least my by count. And then there's a point where you basically can't even play it to begin with unless you own a strong PC - part of the reason why we bought our current PC is because our old one simply couldn't keep up with the Sims anymore, and would run the game incredibly slowly, or just crash - so that's going to cost you more than it usually might. Whereas even the Switch has a budget option that can run Sword + The Isle of Armor just fine. Can run BOTW just fine.

You have the nonsense of the My First Pet Stuff Pack being sold separately from the Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack (which you need in order to fully utilize MFP in the first place), when the former (which includes a lot of dog- and cat-themed content) could have easily been folded into the latter. There's the complete joke of a 20th anniversary celebration update, which consisted of... a reskinned hot tub, and nothing else. Yes, that was a free update, but... that's really all they have to mark 20 years?

And that's the Sims, which isn't even one of the things EA is most infamous for. In no way can Game Freak's approach to competitive multiplayer be compared to the Battlefront 2 fiasco. GF have only made it easier and easier for more people to get involved in competitive with viable teams, and everyone has access to the same Pokémon, even if they don't buy the DLC, because you can still transfer Pokémon from old games, or trade, or take part in Max Raids hosted from The Isle of Armor. There's no such thing as a loot box or an in-game purchase with Pokémon. Cinderace with Libero is totally busted, and they gave that out for free, and it can be bred ad infinitum until everyone who wants one has one. You can always trade with someone who does have access to the DLC if you, say, want to have a Pokémon of yours learn one of the new tutor moves. Nothing is kept totally out of the hands of people who don't want to spend anything more than the initial price of the game, and you're not significantly disadvantaged for sticking to that option, either.
 
And that's the Sims, which isn't even one of the things EA is most infamous for. In no way can Game Freak's approach to competitive multiplayer be compared to the Battlefront 2 fiasco. GF have only made it easier and easier for more people to get involved in competitive with viable teams, and everyone has access to the same Pokémon, even if they don't buy the DLC, because you can still transfer Pokémon from old games, or trade, or take part in Max Raids hosted from The Isle of Armor. There's no such thing as a loot box or an in-game purchase with Pokémon. Cinderace with Libero is totally busted, and they gave that out for free, and it can be bred ad infinitum until everyone who wants one has one. You can always trade with someone who does have access to the DLC if you, say, want to have a Pokémon of yours learn one of the new tutor moves. Nothing is kept totally out of the hands of people who don't want to spend anything more than the initial price of the game, and you're not significantly disadvantaged for sticking to that option, either.
Didn't they literally make people who wanted Mew on their copy of Let's Go pay ~45 bucks for the PokéBall Plus accessory?

Not saying Game Freak is just as bad as EA (yet), but it's clear which direction they're moving in.
 
No they rewarded people who bought the Pokeball plus (which is completely unnecessary to play the game) with a free Mew - you don’t need Mew to complete the game. I do remember hearing people who play Go couldn’t transfer Mew in from Go which seemed a bit unfair but that’s a separate issue.
 
Didn't they literally make people who wanted Mew on their copy of Let's Go pay ~45 bucks for the PokéBall Plus accessory?

Not saying Game Freak is just as bad as EA (yet), but it's clear which direction they're moving in.

The Poké Ball Plus isn't required to play the game or to remain competitive in the game.

Mew isn't required to complete the game or remain competitive in the game. It's definitely a major player in the LGPE meta, but it has counters, and you can survive without it. (And you can contrast this with Melmetal, another major asset Mythical Pokémon in the LGPE meta, which you can obtain without spending a single cent.)

It's one (1!) bonus Pokémon which has never actually been available through normal means in the first place. And even then, it is still possible to trade it from one Let's Go game to another, so if you find someone who is willing to part with theirs, you can obtain it without paying anything yourself. I don't know what they'd be asking for in return, but the possibility is there.

Furthermore, you say they're "heading in that direction," but they ain't done it for Sword & Shield. The Poké Ball Plus Mew most historically resembles how Manaphy and Phione were first distributed, exclusively through Pokémon Ranger (a game that is otherwise completely incompatible with and dissimilar to the core series in terms of gameplay, whereas the Poké Ball Plus is a device that augments the gameplay of Let's Go and GO, making it in my view far less of a blatant "please also buy this" cash grab since it actually has something to do with the games you're playing). So that's a whopping two (2!) bad calls made in regards to approaching Mythical distributions in a 25-year history, and I don't think we should hyperfixate on those while ignoring everything else I said about how convenient and accessible almost everything else is being made.
 
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