Official Pre-Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield Speculation & Leaks thread

[Blast]

The only holidays that matter to GameFreak are Japan's holidays, so I can see them announcing something tomorrow.

I don't think Game Freak is responsible for the announcements, that should be either The Pokémon Company or Nintendo right? They will want to announce something when they feel like it will make the strongest impact. Who knows when that will be.

 

[Velvet]

@Blast; I... actually don't know, kinda always assumed that GameFreak usually decided when they make announcements and such rather than the Pokemon Company or Nintendo.

 

[Wario94]

Pack it up guys

/jk

FAAAAAKE!!!!! Also, The Pokémon Company International had, and ever will be, NEVER said the F word nor calling us "Losers".

 

[Icy Wind]

FAAAAAKE!!!!! Also, The Pokémon Company International had, and ever will be, NEVER said the F word nor calling us "Losers".

It was a joke....

 

[KiranTheWitch]

What if we actually do get an announcement tomorrow?

 

[Silktree]

Also, The Pokémon Company International had, and ever will be, NEVER said the F word nor calling us "Losers".

Give it time.

 

[Joker901]

What if we actually do get an announcement tomorrow?

Announcement....you mean that word that starts with "never" and ends with "happening"?

 

[lavandula]

That Project Eevee tweet looks innocent to me... looks like something you say every night to people who go to work...
Sorry if I sound like a kill joy.

 

[Grimbad]

What is the logic behind not doing an announcement on a holiday? Wouldnt that be better, more people would see it if not in school or work i would think

 

[El_]

If Pikachu is getting a new evolution, Gorochu or not, I would expect it to look more marketably cute than Raichu or... that.

I speculate that an Oni like evolution is what that could be alluding to. It has that "cool" factor to it at least, which separates it from normal/Alolan Raichu. Notable that GameFreak tried Oni designs before with the beta designs of Throh/Sawk & the inspiration behind Tornadus/Thundurus. Hopefully, things work out better for "Gorochu."

I'm most likely getting Eevee version anyways, depending on what exactly the version differences are going to be.

 

[RileyXY1]

What is the logic behind not doing an announcement on a holiday? Wouldnt that be better, more people would see it if not in school or work i would think

Considering what the holiday is, it may be seen as insensitive. Also, not a lot of American people will watch it because they will be busy shopping and going to BBQs.

I speculate that an Oni like evolution is what that could be alluding to. It has that "cool" factor to it at least, which separates it from normal/Alolan Raichu. Notable that GameFreak tried Oni designs before with the beta designs of Throh/Sawk & the inspiration behind Tornadus/Thundurus. Hopefully, things work out better for "Gorochu."

I'm most likely getting Eevee version anyways, depending on what exactly the version differences are going to be.

The mascot of the franchise evolving into a Pokemon that looks like the literal devil won't go over well with the Christian community. You guys do know that the franchise has already been accused of promoting Satanism.

 

[Icy Wind]

You guys do know that the franchise has already been accused of promoting Satanism?

Yeah, like 20 years ago. Those accusations died since then.

Also, we’ve had pokemon like Giratina and Hydreigon portrayed as evil, and have similarities with what most people consider “the devil”. Christians didn’t get offended by those, they won’t be offended by a an Oni-inspired Pikachu evolution.

Considering what the holiday is, it may be seen as insensitive. Also, not a lot of people will watch it because they will be busy shopping and going to BBQs.

Nobody in America is going to be offended by a Pokemon direct announcement. C’mon now.

 

[Silktree]

Considering what the holiday is, it may be seen as insensitive. Also, not a lot of American people will watch it because they will be busy shopping and going to BBQs.

All day long? They have 24 hours to see it before the actual announcement.

 

[KiranTheWitch]

Memorial Day isn't celebrated in Japan IIRC

 

[El_]

The mascot of the franchise evolving into a Pokemon that looks like the literal devil won't go over well with the Christian community. You guys do know that the franchise has already been accused of promoting Satanism.

Why should GameFreak be forced to bend to the will of a single religious community? Even if the Oni evolution is legit, it is an alternate one that's not even on the box cover.

Never mind that we've already had the closest Luciferian archetype in the series on the box cover of Platinum nearly 10 years ago, in a generation that introduced a Pokegod. Then, just one generation later we had dogmatic Team Plasma as antagonist in the U.S.A. which visually displays the Christian Chi Rho symbol on their uniforms.

GameFreak doesn't care, and neither should we. The past hysteria around Pokemon & satanism was a period of lunacy and should be treated as such.

 

[RileyXY1]

Yeah, like 20 years ago. Those accusations died since then.

Also, we’ve had pokemon like Giratina and Hydreigon portrayed as evil, and have similarities with what most people consider “the devil”.

Neither Hydreigon or Giratina have any relations to the devil. Hydreigon is based on the Hydra, a monster from Greek mythology while Giratina is a personification of antimatter.

Memorial Day isn't celebrated in Japan IIRC

But still, it will be very inconvenient for the American audience. Most American players won't even know that the games have even been announced.

 

[Spinjira]

The mascot of the franchise evolving into a Pokemon that looks like the literal devil won't go over well with the Christian community. You guys do know that the franchise has already been accused of promoting Satanism.

So was Harry Potter....20 years ago. As someone who was on staff at a church for years, a small country South Baptist church at that, I can tell you that will not offend many people, if any in the Christian community. There’s a very loud minority that might be loud but that represents a very small precentage of Christians. Yokai watch was popular with a lot of church kids and that is technically way more spiritually “offensive” (I don’t find it offensive but others may) and no one batted an eye.

 

[RileyXY1]

So was Harry Potter....20 years ago. As someone who was on staff at a church for years, a small country South Baptist church at that, I can tell you that will not offend many people, if any in the Christian community. There’s a very loud minority that might be loud but that represents a very small precentage of Christians. Yokai watch was popular with a lot of church kids and that is technically way more spiritually “offensive” (I don’t find it offensive but others may) and no one batted an eye.

Yokai Watch mainly orients itself around various Japanese traditional religions.

Why should GameFreak be forced to bend to the will of a single religious community? Even if the Oni evolution is legit, it is an alternate one that's not even on the box cover.

Never mind that we've already had the closest Luciferian archetype in the series on the box cover of Platinum nearly 10 years ago, in a generation that introduced a Pokegod. Then, just one generation later we had dogmatic Team Plasma as antagonist in the U.S.A. which visually displays the Christian Chi Rho symbol on their uniforms.

GameFreak doesn't care, and neither should we. The past hysteria around Pokemon & satanism was a period of lunacy and should be treated as such.

I did actual research. Giratina is a personification of antimatter. The Team Plasma symbol is the letters PZ, an abbreviation for the Japanese word purazama, which literally translates to plasma in English. Gorochu is a scrapped design and that's all it will ever be.

 

[VelVoxelRaptor]

The titles of the Switch game have possibly leaked...

Spoiler

Pokemon Tomorrow and Pokemon Forshure

Pokemon 2018 and Pokemon Orlater

Pokemon Dis and Pokemon Appoint
(Together they Disappoint!)

jk

 

[El_]

I did actual research.

Are you sure?

Because you'd have to be blind to not see the inspiration here if you had. Also, Giratina is the "Rebellion Pokemon" banished to its own little world by Arceus. I'm not arguing that Giratina is literally satan here, just an inspired loose "archetype". I'm not arguing for Gorochu's legitimacy, either.

Just saying that Oni demons from a separate belief system should in no way offend any Christians, especially when GF has been demonstratively more transparent on such topics in the past.

Gorochu is a scrapped design and that's all it will ever be.

Where'd you come by this information? Research?