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RUMOUR: Pokemon Next Gen

TerraTF

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Pokemon Plus and Minus:

GameFreak were one of the first development studios inside Nintendo to receive Alpha-Prototype hardware, now have been upgraded to the Beta-Prototype hardware above.

Have a few areas marked out, TONS of concept art traveling between Pokemon Company and Nintendo Co Ltd.

GameFreak plans to completely overhaul the basic systems of battle, simplifying the process.

The development team is “going to put a lot of ideas they have wanted to do for years in this game”.

Two versions already have code names, possibly final: Pokemon Plus and Pokemon Minus.

Theme is “Old Tradition VS New Exploration”

New region, no name yet, is based on South East Asia with one large peninsula and many smaller islands.

Three new starters with no names: Water evolves into Water/Steel and is a squat, teardrop shaped humanoid that has a jar filled with on its head as it evolves it grows taller and the jar bigger until it needs another set of arms to hold it on it’s head. Fire evolves into Fire/Fairy and is a tiny cute goat with fire blowing out of its horns, it’s horns and look evolves more menacing until it has curly ram like horns and a motorcycle hot-rod-like look. Grass evolves into a Grass/Electric and starts with a leap for a face with a nubby root as a body and evolves until it grows into an electric producing palm tree with each flower petal having a different face.

The main legendary for Pokemon Plus is a Shi Foo Lion-looking Psychic/Ground-type that has multiple faces, the Pokemon Minus legendary is a Ghost/Fairy type that has two dashes for eyes and is a hurricane-like appendages with many arms and hands.

More traditional Pokemon-like gameplay will be on the Handheld controller while an all new gameplay aspect will be on the Terminal unit.

The “Pokken Fighers” render that was teased was running on Alpha kits, Beta kits now have advance cell shading. Going for very detailed “living anime” look.

The new “Team” villains are described as a bunch of “Sohei Zelots”-types who have discovered the player’s best friend as a reincarnation of a special type of person who only is alive every 100 years. They believe the old system where people were given a Pokemon egg and they stick to that Pokemon until they die and who’s function in society dictate what role that person is. They are against the “modern” trend of Pokemon Trainers and capturing multiple Pokemon and are making a holy pilgrimage to evoke the old Legendaries to turn everything back to normal. They keep the player away from their friend, saying the special one (who can do amazing things like mega evolve Pokemon without the use of a mega ring) only love is that of Pokemon and not people. It is planned to be reveal later that for the special one to fulfill their role in society they must be mortally sacrificed to awaken the legendaries.

Routes connection the island together are water bridges but clumps of island are connected together by underwater tunnels.

There is a “Stone Slowking” statue that is a parody of the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, Thailand.

Many Pokemon from Hoenn and Sinnoh will make a return.

Variety of Pokemon Gyms, one is a mail system that only uses flying types and focuses on sky battles. One only uses baby Pokemon, one is implied to be a real vampire and uses Ghost and Dark Pokemon. There is also a military like leader who uses Fire and Steel Pokemon.

The island gameplay with Gym Leaders and the Elite Four island can be played entirely on the Handheld and can be blown up on the Terminal for home play.

New Pokemon Type similar to Shinies, no details yet on how they work but I’ve been told they “change the game significantly”.

The “Mainland” is an MMO-like environment that is exclusive to the Terminal and is shared by both versions.

Players all over the world online can chat, trade, intermingle and experience new-updated story lines on the mainland.

Pokemon Band is a new mechanic introduced to get people involved who do not battle, a co-operative experience where Pokemon dance and make music together to achieve the highest group score.

Pokemon Bank are actual locations on the Mainland and Handheld areas where people can import past Pokemon, mainly from Pokemon X and Pokemon Y into the new game.

Found on MyNintendoNews.com here

I plan to do more research and add more info to the OP if any is found.

Originates from Dual Pixels. Link to original story here
 
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Anyone who gives this rumour any kind of attention is an absolute moron and whoever even bothers to report on it needs to have their psuedo-journalism card revoked.

GameFreak have only just released Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Previous interviews from the beginning of past generations indicate that Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori and the other higher-ups at the company have most likely already moved on to very early planning of Generation VII, but with emphasis on the early planning. Considering how past interviews have mentioned that the starter Pokémon themselves can take as much as a year to design and finalise. There is also the fact that Junichi Masuda has outright said that he took 2 years just thinking about how they could move on from Gen IV to V!

Iwata: So after the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl Version games came out and everyone at Game Freak was making Pokémon Platinum Version, you were examining the games from a number of different angles and thinking about how you could make them so that players never "graduated" from them. Pokémon Platinum Version: First released in Japan for the Nintendo DS system on September 13, 2008 as the new version of Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version.

Masuda: Yes, I kept thinking about it for roughly two years. But when we were making the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl Version games, we didn't have to think too hard in order to establish a difference with previous games, because we had the DS as new hardware.

So no, these "rumours" are nowhere near being close to true. These next few years when the majority of GameFreak is working on whatever games come next in Gen VI (be they remakes, sequels, third version or whatever), that will be when Masuda and Sugimori and the rest of the design team will be thinking about and then working on, Gen VII.

As for alpha test units on the next generation handhelds? It's highly likely that Nintendo are currently looking at and testing ideas for the successor of the Nintendo 3DS, but I highly doubt that we'll see anything for the next few years - the 3DS is only 3 years old, so about half-way through its life-span and it is selling like hotcakes in Japan, so it might have an even longer life than the DS did. Honestly, there's no point speculating about the validity of that though - the moron who made this rumour probably just went with the "All generations barring Gen V have been for new consoles".
 
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I like how the fire type starter is apparently a Fire version of Gogoat, lol.
 
the 3DS is only 3 years old, so about half-way through its life-span and it is selling like hotcakes in Japan, so it might have an even longer life than the DS did.
It is not selling as well as the DS did, so I see no reason to think that it will have a longer life span.
 
Sounds like hogwash to me. If GameFreak were to do anything "new" they would probably release Pokemon "Z" and make it very different from XY in terms of storyline and activities. As far as new regions go I think it's way to early for leaked details. I'm sure they have ideas floating about but it's all probably in the vague concept stage at the moment.
 
the 3DS is only 3 years old, so about half-way through its life-span and it is selling like hotcakes in Japan, so it might have an even longer life than the DS did.
It is not selling as well as the DS did, so I see no reason to think that it will have a longer life span.
Because in Japan, it's the absolute market leader - even if it's not beating the DS' numbers, it's curb-stomping everything else without any hesitation or restraint. Either way though, the next Nintendo handheld probably won't even be announced for a minimum of 3 years.
 
Either way though, the next Nintendo handheld probably won't even be announced for a minimum of 3 years.
If that were to happen, the 3DS would have a longer life span than the DS did. Again, I don't see why that would be the case.
 
We got XY in october. As @VioletFlashlight; says it is too early for leaking things. And then I hope it is not true because the starters seemed to suck. No, we will maybe get our hands on something more truthfully in 1-2 years at best.
 
Either way though, the next Nintendo handheld probably won't even be announced for a minimum of 3 years.
If that were to happen, the 3DS would have a longer life span than the DS did. Again, I don't see why that would be the case.
Whenever the next generation handheld will land isn't really the point of contention about these rumours though - as the rest of it screams bullshit.

The Nintendo 3DS was announced at E3 2010 (before a 2011 release), which was 6 years into the lifespan of the Nintendo DS. So if we use that as a vague prediction, then a 2017 announcement of the next generation handheld for a 2018 release wouldn't be too farfetched. It's really hard to try and judge the handheld time-gap though, because as the Nintendo DS was originally meant to be a third pillar, we can't really use the GBA-DS time-scale (but we can use the DS-3DS because by that time, Nintendo had accepted it as the successor to the GBA), but Gameboy-Gameboy Colour was 9 years and Gameboy Colour-Gameboy Advance was only 3 years.

Of course, Nintendo could always announce and release one earlier, but right now, we're still likely in the first half of the 3DS' lifespan, so there's nothing to go on on either side - either way though, I highly doubt Nintendo will be singing the swan's song to the best-selling video game console on the market right now any time soon, as much as I would absolutely love a Nintendo handheld with the power of something like the Vita.

EDIT:

Thinking in regards to Gen VI's Mythical Pokémon, a 2017 release of the next-gen console could also be viable, if we go with the assumption that Nintendo will want to launch the next handheld with a Pokémon title (to avoid the issues that plagued the 3DS and Wii U launches):
2014 - Diancie
2015 - Volcanion + Gen VI Sequel/Third Version/Remake
2016 - Hoopa + Gen VI Sequel/Third Version/Remake + Next Gen handheld announcement.
2017 - Gen VII launches with Next Gen handheld.

Or, we could get a Gen V situation where Gen VII is on 3DS too.
 
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Whenever the next generation handheld will land isn't really the point of contention about these rumours though - as the rest of it screams bullshit.
Which is why I think it's unnecessary to make bold claims about when exactly the next system will be released. I think that a 2016 release is perfectly feasible, but that is neither here nor there. I guess that I take issue with your claim because you seem to be implying that Generation VII will be released for the 3DS.

The Nintendo 3DS was announced at E3 2010 (before a 2011 release), which was 6 years into the lifespan of the Nintendo DS.
The first 3DS details were revealed in March 2010, by which point the DS was five years and four months into lifetime. The 3DS was released 11 months later.

It's really hard to try and judge the handheld time-gap though, because as the Nintendo DS was originally meant to be a third pillar, we can't really use the GBA-DS time-scale (but we can use the DS-3DS because by that time, Nintendo had accepted it as the successor to the GBA),
If anything, the DS having been viewed as a third pillar contributed to its longer life span, as the transition was slower.
 
I saw this rumor. It sounds like bullshit, but I have a feeling some parts of it are true (notably that it's going to be on a new console which will merge console and handheld gaming).

GameFreak have only just released Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Previous interviews from the beginning of past generations indicate that Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori and the other higher-ups at the company have most likely already moved on to very early planning of Generation VII, but with emphasis on the early planning. Considering how past interviews have mentioned that the starter Pokémon themselves can take as much as a year to design and finalise.

Some of this does sound like early planning stuff. The identities of the Pokemon are probably fake, but I think the region choice, a few of the gameplay features (particularly the ones relating to the merged console features), and the basic plot could be real.

The Nintendo 3DS was announced at E3 2010 (before a 2011 release), which was 6 years into the lifespan of the Nintendo DS. So if we use that as a vague prediction, then a 2017 announcement of the next generation handheld for a 2018 release wouldn't be too farfetched. It's really hard to try and judge the handheld time-gap though, because as the Nintendo DS was originally meant to be a third pillar, we can't really use the GBA-DS time-scale (but we can use the DS-3DS because by that time, Nintendo had accepted it as the successor to the GBA), but Gameboy-Gameboy Colour was 9 years and Gameboy Colour-Gameboy Advance was only 3 years.

Of course, Nintendo could always announce and release one earlier, but right now, we're still likely in the first half of the 3DS' lifespan, so there's nothing to go on on either side - either way though, I highly doubt Nintendo will be singing the swan's song to the best-selling video game console on the market right now any time soon, as much as I would absolutely love a Nintendo handheld with the power of something like the Vita.

EDIT:

Thinking in regards to Gen VI's Mythical Pokémon, a 2017 release of the next-gen console could also be viable, if we go with the assumption that Nintendo will want to launch the next handheld with a Pokémon title (to avoid the issues that plagued the 3DS and Wii U launches):
2014 - Diancie
2015 - Volcanion + Gen VI Sequel/Third Version/Remake
2016 - Hoopa + Gen VI Sequel/Third Version/Remake + Next Gen handheld announcement.
2017 - Gen VII launches with Next Gen handheld.

Or, we could get a Gen V situation where Gen VII is on 3DS too.

What you have to consider is that this supposed next gen console is supposed to be a successor to not only the 3DS, but probably the Wii U as well. And even Nintendo acknowledges that the Wii U has been less than successful to the point where they're probably eager to usher in next gen sooner rather than later so they can trash it and move on to something that will (hopefully) be more successful. 2016/2017 seems roughly accurate for the console's launch with that in mind. Of course, all of this hinges on whether or not such a console will happen in the first place, but it's certainly believable that they would do such a thing.
 
Which is why I think it's unnecessary to make bold claims about when exactly the next system will be released. I think that a 2016 release is perfectly feasible, but that is neither here nor there. I guess that I take issue with your claim because you seem to be implying that Generation VII will be released for the 3DS.
It could be, or it could be for the 3DS' successor system. Nintendo could be looking to avoid the launch problems that plagued the 3DS and are plaguing the Wii U by making sure that they have a hit franchise at launch (although admittedly unlikely. However, it can't be denied that a main series Pokémon game as a launch title would be amazing both for consumers and business).

The Nintendo 3DS was announced at E3 2010 (before a 2011 release), which was 6 years into the lifespan of the Nintendo DS.
The first 3DS details were revealed in March 2010, by which point the DS was five years and four months into lifetime. The 3DS was released 11 months later.
*Looks up* Ah yes, you are right there. First announced in March 2010, then then fully unveiled at E3. If we use that as a basis, mid-2016 would seem like a viable time-frame for an announcement, then a 2016/2017 release.

If anything, these obviously fake rumours have been good in the respect that they've kicked up speculation about the next handheld console xD.

I saw this rumor. It sounds like bullshit, but I have a feeling some parts of it are true (notably that it's going to be on a new console which will merge console and handheld gaming).

Some of this does sound like early planning stuff. The identities of the Pokemon are probably fake, but I think the region choice, a few of the gameplay features (particularly the ones relating to the merged console features), and the basic plot could be real.
If even a part of the rumour is fake, all of it is fake.

The Nintendo 3DS was announced at E3 2010 (before a 2011 release), which was 6 years into the lifespan of the Nintendo DS. So if we use that as a vague prediction, then a 2017 announcement of the next generation handheld for a 2018 release wouldn't be too farfetched. It's really hard to try and judge the handheld time-gap though, because as the Nintendo DS was originally meant to be a third pillar, we can't really use the GBA-DS time-scale (but we can use the DS-3DS because by that time, Nintendo had accepted it as the successor to the GBA), but Gameboy-Gameboy Colour was 9 years and Gameboy Colour-Gameboy Advance was only 3 years.

Of course, Nintendo could always announce and release one earlier, but right now, we're still likely in the first half of the 3DS' lifespan, so there's nothing to go on on either side - either way though, I highly doubt Nintendo will be singing the swan's song to the best-selling video game console on the market right now any time soon, as much as I would absolutely love a Nintendo handheld with the power of something like the Vita.

EDIT:

Thinking in regards to Gen VI's Mythical Pokémon, a 2017 release of the next-gen console could also be viable, if we go with the assumption that Nintendo will want to launch the next handheld with a Pokémon title (to avoid the issues that plagued the 3DS and Wii U launches):
2014 - Diancie
2015 - Volcanion + Gen VI Sequel/Third Version/Remake
2016 - Hoopa + Gen VI Sequel/Third Version/Remake + Next Gen handheld announcement.
2017 - Gen VII launches with Next Gen handheld.

Or, we could get a Gen V situation where Gen VII is on 3DS too.

What you have to consider is that this supposed next gen console is supposed to be a successor to not only the 3DS, but probably the Wii U as well. And even Nintendo acknowledges that the Wii U has been less than successful to the point where they're probably eager to usher in next gen sooner rather than later so they can trash it and move on to something that will (hopefully) be more successful. 2016/2017 seems roughly accurate for the console's launch with that in mind. Of course, all of this hinges on whether or not such a console will happen in the first place, but it's certainly believable that they would do such a thing.
Except there has been no indication whatsoever that Nintendo is backing out of the home console market. It is my personal belief that Nintendo simply having one console would be a good thing (as they really cannot maintain a concurrent steady stream of titles for both 3DS and Wii U), but nothing has really suggested that that might be a possibility. Sure, Nintendo have recently merged their hardware divisions, but that could also be because they want the next handheld and next home console to have much stronger interaction.
 
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Except there has been no indication whatsoever that Nintendo is backing out of the home console market. It is my personal belief that Nintendo simply having one console would be a good thing (as they really cannot maintain a concurrent steady stream of titles for both 3DS and Wii U), but nothing has really suggested that that might be a possibility. Sure, Nintendo have recently merged their hardware divisions, but that could also be because they want the next handheld and next home console to have much stronger interaction.

You're right in that there's nothing definite saying that this will happen and it's possible that this guy is saying this console exists because he wants a Pokemon console game (because let's face it, this is pretty much the only way a main series console game will happen). It's possible that Game Freak could've been something like that in their interviews regarding this topic, but who knows. But business wise, it seems like a smart decision for several reasons (among them being the game release issue you mentioned, the limitations of home consoles Game Freak mentioned, the potential for innovative gameplay mechanics that play to different gaming environments). I'm interested in the possibility of this happening from the technical side of this, though, how could something like this actually work?

As for them "backing out of the home console market", a merged console wouldn't really mean a withdrawal from the console market. That's the point of it, you'd have a console that functions as and competes with both consoles and handhelds. It's simply a way to give people the best of both worlds.

But yeah, this is all pure speculation, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
 
The "Pokemon Band" made me think of this , lol.

I'll agree that most of the rumors seem fake. While it's very possible Gen VII is in its beginning stages, I highly doubt it's as fleshed out as these "leaks" seem to suggest.
 
I wonder if that line about the battle system being overhauled for simplicity was based on that interview a while back about Gwn VII "reverting to simplicity" or whatever it was. Not that it makes this any more likely to be legit, of course.
 
Except there has been no indication whatsoever that Nintendo is backing out of the home console market. It is my personal belief that Nintendo simply having one console would be a good thing (as they really cannot maintain a concurrent steady stream of titles for both 3DS and Wii U), but nothing has really suggested that that might be a possibility. Sure, Nintendo have recently merged their hardware divisions, but that could also be because they want the next handheld and next home console to have much stronger interaction.

You're right in that there's nothing definite saying that this will happen and it's possible that this guy is saying this console exists because he wants a Pokemon console game (because let's face it, this is pretty much the only way a main series console game will happen). It's possible that Game Freak could've been something like that in their interviews regarding this topic, but who knows. But business wise, it seems like a smart decision for several reasons (among them being the game release issue you mentioned, the limitations of home consoles Game Freak mentioned, the potential for innovative gameplay mechanics that play to different gaming environments). I'm interested in the possibility of this happening from the technical side of this, though, how could something like this actually work?

As for them "backing out of the home console market", a merged console wouldn't really mean a withdrawal from the console market. That's the point of it, you'd have a console that functions as and competes with both consoles and handhelds. It's simply a way to give people the best of both worlds.

But yeah, this is all pure speculation, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

not trying to cause anything but Nintendo has announced 2 straight pokemon games at around this exact time

also may I remind you they kept releasing ds games after the 3ds release
 
Wait....what? So not only is this a rumor that Pokemon is gonna have a home and handheld console version, but that the handheld and console are the same thing next gen? And we're what, at least 4-5 years away from the Wii U being replaced? How is this even possible to be in the beta stages already? HOW?
 
Wait....what? So not only is this a rumor that Pokemon is gonna have a home and handheld console version, but that the handheld and console are the same thing next gen? And we're what, at least 4-5 years away from the Wii U being replaced? How is this even possible to be in the beta stages already? HOW?


MIYAMOTO
 
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