The Official Future Speculation Thread

[TouyaShiro]

Here's one thing to think about in terms of the next core series game. They're most likely going to be compatible with Pokémon Bank, while the other games released that can use it will also remain compatible. Should new Pokémon be introduced like this, it's likely they'll either just not be able to be pulled into the previous games no matter if it's a new Generation or not, or they won't be able to be pulled into the Bank at all (I highly doubt this'll be the case, we're not dealing with Spiky-Eared Pichu and Cosplay Pikachu here).

 

[ArvAl]

Here's one thing to think about in terms of the next core series game. They're most likely going to be compatible with Pokémon Bank, while the other games released that can use it will also remain compatible. Should new Pokémon be introduced like this, it's likely they'll either just not be able to be pulled into the previous games no matter if it's a new Generation or not, or they won't be able to be pulled into the Bank at all (I highly doubt this'll be the case, we're not dealing with Spiky-Eared Pichu and Cosplay Pikachu here).

It won't be a problem that much tho. Just another patch update to Bank for additional new Pokemon recognition and voila! It's done. As for transferring to previous games, the anecdote would be like trying to pour a large full water bottle into an empty medium sized cup. Option 1 could make the most likeable choice when a new Pokemon announced.

 

[Esserise]

Look above, there isn't going to be an E3 appearance apparently. Until a game gets announced, we have no idea what's going to happen.

Yikes. Well, that's a setback.

Zygarde is weird. Magearna is even weirder. I think we can all agree on that at least.

I won't deny that Zygarde is an important Pokémon in the current generational climate, since it has all the trappings of a "third game" mascot. But in every other respect, they sure don't seem to be treating it like one. It's basically getting a beefier version of the Meloetta treatment in terms of the anime. It's taking a backseat to bloody Mega Alakazam in the TCG. Its video game debut was Picross for crying out loud.

Now, I'm a big fan of Zygarde. I think it is a fascinating Pokémon, and I would love to see it get a story to itself. But I can't help but think that by the (hypothetical) time they actually get around to doing it properly in "Z," it will just be too far gone. They will have covered it everywhere else, and in not-very-spectacular fashion.

What I do think is worth mentioning, though, is that for all that we talk about patterns, they really haven't actually been that consistent about how they handle the "third game mascot."

Suicune was obviously the prototype, being given a dedicated storyline, but it wasn't a part of a trio with the "main" cover mascots of its generation. Rayquaza was more of a concentrated effort to tie the third mascot in with the first two, but they didn't really do much with it aside from injecting it into the Groudon/Kyogre legend and letting you know in-game that it existed at all. Giratina was given a "third version" game like Rayquaza, yes, but it also brought in the idea of giving the third mascot a special alternate form (although Giratina is a bit of an oddity as well, because it isn't superior to Dialga and Palkia - it is their equal and opposite, while an unseen, unavailable Mythical Pokémon is really the one that lords over them all). Then Kyurem comes along, and we all know what happened with that one. Everyone thought, "Pokémon Græy! God Stone! Kyurem has 1 alternate form in the coding!" And then exactly none of that panned out as expected. And then we come full circle to Rayquaza, who finally gets its alternate form, but also gets a unique *post-game* storyline dedicated to it.

So when we say that Zygarde is going to follow the "typical formula"... er, well then the question is, "What 'typical formula?'" The other "third game" mascots all innovated in some way. If Zygarde is going to get a game to itself (which I personally don't think that it will, but I'm entertaining the possibility), then how will it set itself apart from the past examples and create its own unique presentation? You can't really just say "copypaste X/Y but set the climax at Terminus Cave" and be done with it. Having the Cells and Cores be involved throughout the storyline is a good idea, but I can't think of a very elegant way to go about executing it. If they weren't going to let the Poké Ball Factory heist in X/Y affect the in-game price of Poké Balls, then they definitely aren't going to force you to use one of your six party slots in order to babysit a Core or something like that.

Here's one thing to think about in terms of the next core series game. They're most likely going to be compatible with Pokémon Bank, while the other games released that can use it will also remain compatible. Should new Pokémon be introduced like this, it's likely they'll either just not be able to be pulled into the previous games no matter if it's a new Generation or not, or they won't be able to be pulled into the Bank at all (I highly doubt this'll be the case, we're not dealing with Spiky-Eared Pichu and Cosplay Pikachu here).

Although, keep in mind, the intention of Pokémon Bank is that it will work with *all* future games going forward, not just Gen VI.

 

[Icy Wind]

However... you don't have to reboot the entire thing in order to give your approach a complete overhaul. And so, I'm thinking, when (if ever) is it going to be time to do away with the current "formula" of the main series games?

Why fix what ain't broken?

Because we've had two soft reboots now in the form of B/W and X/Y, and those games both focused on streamlining a lot of the mechanics.

Tha was kind of the point. Game freak discovered that having a bunch of never ending snow routes or confusing caves like in sinnoh added nothing but frustration to the game. Gen 5 and Gen 6 was their attempt to fix this problem.

has the traditional "formula" gone as far as it can go?

There was never a ''core'' formula to the game. Things like the post game are completely optional sidequests, and x and y weren't the first main pair versions to have a none-existent postgame(see also: ruby and sapphire)

Pokémon isn't a game with a ''core'' formula. You're only limited with what you can accomplish in the game with your imagination.

 

[Arceus the Dragon]

Ok, here is what we know:
Zygarde got new forms - Cell, Core, 10% and Complete form.
Greninja got a form called Ash-Greninja although I am not certain on whether it is anime exclusive or not.
Volcanion got officially announced.
Magearna got announced.
Eternal Floette hasn't been announced yet but was mentioned in XY.

E3 is coming up but I am going to wait and see. If a new main series game then that is great. If not, at least I didn't expect much or get too excited. Eternal Floette could be announced in the months before E3 for all we know but this is speculation.

 

[League]

I won't deny that Zygarde is an important Pokémon in the current generational climate, since it has all the trappings of a "third game" mascot. But in every other respect, they sure don't seem to be treating it like one. It's basically getting a beefier version of the Meloetta treatment in terms of the anime. It's taking a backseat to bloody Mega Alakazam in the TCG. Its video game debut was Picross for crying out loud.

Now, I'm a big fan of Zygarde. I think it is a fascinating Pokémon, and I would love to see it get a story to itself. But I can't help but think that by the (hypothetical) time they actually get around to doing it properly in "Z," it will just be too far gone. They will have covered it everywhere else, and in not-very-spectacular fashion.

What I do think is worth mentioning, though, is that for all that we talk about patterns, they really haven't actually been that consistent about how they handle the "third game mascot."

Suicune was obviously the prototype, being given a dedicated storyline, but it wasn't a part of a trio with the "main" cover mascots of its generation. Rayquaza was more of a concentrated effort to tie the third mascot in with the first two, but they didn't really do much with it aside from injecting it into the Groudon/Kyogre legend and letting you know in-game that it existed at all. Giratina was given a "third version" game like Rayquaza, yes, but it also brought in the idea of giving the third mascot a special alternate form (although Giratina is a bit of an oddity as well, because it isn't superior to Dialga and Palkia - it is their equal and opposite, while an unseen, unavailable Mythical Pokémon is really the one that lords over them all). Then Kyurem comes along, and we all know what happened with that one. Everyone thought, "Pokémon Græy! God Stone! Kyurem has 1 alternate form in the coding!" And then exactly none of that panned out as expected. And then we come full circle to Rayquaza, who finally gets its alternate form, but also gets a unique *post-game* storyline dedicated to it.

So when we say that Zygarde is going to follow the "typical formula"... er, well then the question is, "What 'typical formula?'" The other "third game" mascots all innovated in some way. If Zygarde is going to get a game to itself (which I personally don't think that it will, but I'm entertaining the possibility), then how will it set itself apart from the past examples and create its own unique presentation? You can't really just say "copypaste X/Y but set the climax at Terminus Cave" and be done with it. Having the Cells and Cores be involved throughout the storyline is a good idea, but I can't think of a very elegant way to go about executing it. If they weren't going to let the Poké Ball Factory heist in X/Y affect the in-game price of Poké Balls, then they definitely aren't going to force you to use one of your six party slots in order to babysit a Core or something like that.



Although, keep in mind, the intention of Pokémon Bank is that it will work with *all* future games going forward, not just Gen VI.

I think (or speculate)(or hope!--this may all be obvious butkus) that the TCG and the anime might have more tie-in's than is being discussed. The mechanical Azoth kingdom seems like a setting where Break Evolution could be introduced into the anime-verse and game-verse, albeit in the game-verse other universes where Mega evolution might not be a thing are at least hypothesized on, whether or not they exist being in question, depending on whether or not you view Gens I-V as one continuity and VI as another.

The most mysterious pokemon of all right now is actually Ash-Greninja, though, especially as that card is getting a TCG tie-in as a base EX while also having (as Greninja Break, not "Ash-Greninja Break") a Break form alongside Chesnaught (in the current TCG lore, the "Break" technological, urbane universe is fighting a naturalistic rural universe with Mega evolutions). Volcanion is almost as interesting though because Ash gets "linked" with it in the new movie.

Break Evolution, and/or "Pokemon-Trainer Synchronization Revolution!", could otherwise work "differently" from Mega Evolution; it could provide a uniform base stat increase (think 20 to every stat, or each pokemon getting different stats raised which are raised by the same 2-4 values in all totaling 100) and not actually change the form of every pokemon it works on--and one "Break piece" or what have you could suffice to work on every fully-evolved pokemon. Break Evolution in the TCG and "Pokemon-Trainer Synchronization Revolution" in the anime don't seem to require items, however.

~

I'm of course (of course, don't you know) a Pokemon A and Pokemon Z guy, and really I like the Gen 6.5.7 idea of Kalos having one and/or two (so one to three) extensions, and Zygarde-100% (A) and M Zygarde-50% (Z) being cover legendaries. The regional extensions could differ between the games (the starting points could differ!?), and be based off interregional areas bordering or even crossing into any of Germany, Italy, or the UK.

I think we will see a lot of the new Gen VI pokemon get Mega or other evolutions, most especially Mega/Break Pyroar, which will be Lysandre's main pokemon. This might even be a model, where new pokemon don't see their Mega/other extra evolutions immediately.

EDIT: And oh, but I have had a major thought! What if, when introducing a new series of Kalos games (Pokemon A and Pokemon Z, of course), they decided to patch ORAS, but not X and Y?

 

[Zygardereign]

I REALLY hope they announced something on the 27th, this battle of the Gens would not stop... AT ALL..
Though I understand the point of 7th Gen being like Johto, and to travel back to Kalos in the post-game,that said new region would have to have it's own lore going on, new starters, and most importantly, new legendaries. If 7th Gen was to be in the 3ds, would those new legendaries be the mascots instead of Zygarde Complete form (or the two cores) And how can they make this new region not dependable on Kalos to make things work if a 3rd version/sequel was to happen on THAT region. Really, will THAT STILL be on the 3ds? And given that IF a DP remake was to happen in this Gen, would THAT still be on the 3ds?

I still stand by the fact that 6th Gen is not over, as the pacing of the anime itself(Ash still doesn't know how to master Ash-Greninja, Team Flare has the blue Zygarde core, Serena's Tripokalons, Wulfric has YET to make an appearance along as Ash doesn't have his 8th gym badge) seems questionable if a new Generation is coming this year. Moreover, HOW will they hype the anime for THAT region if Ash were to still lose in the league, having to go with yet another female character, and potentially lose all his valuable pokemon bar Pikachu, ESPECIALLY his Greninja? It'll make the fans even less interested in it now, with all the hype they gave the "XY and Z" series. They have NEVER hyped the anime like this in past gens before, NEVER hyped the third legendary and put so much focus on it unlike the others. Which is why I think the last Kalos game(s) could be inspired by the anime JUST LIKE Yellow was before. It'll be a nice reference to the classic anime. That way, you can start off with the core as the starter, protect it from Team Flare while u try to understand the concepts of Zygarde, somewhere in the middle of the storyline, you'll be given the Kalos starters, and when one of them is in their final evolved form, it will enable you to have a synchro form that works like Ash-Greninja. Have the southern part of Kalos become available. And given next year is basically the 20th anniversary to the anime, I'd like for them to end off the entire Kalos series with a bang than just rush it entirely, make Ash go to a new region yet again even if he's the face of the entire anime, and make fans wonder if Ash will ever win the league.

I'm neutral on having new pokemon in a Gen 6.5. I don't really know if it could work, but if it doesn't, I won't complain, and do hope Magearna would somehow work in Kalos, as 6th Gen has yet to have a mythical with base 100's across it's stats. Magearna would be the perfect one to fit there.

 

[Bolt Strike]

This is roughly what I expect for the next game:

• Gen 6.5 game(s) with Zygarde as the mascot and completely new Pokemon added.
  • Zygarde is obtainable in its 10% form early and new cells are found over the course of the game which upgrade it to its next form.
  • 30-50 New Pokemon added with the new Pokemon complementing the current selection of 6th gen Pokemon.
    • New legendary trio added.
    • At least one new family for each type.
• BW2 style expansion to the Kalos region.
  • Southern Kalos added which forms the second subregion in the game.
  • New areas in the northeast are also added.
• New sidequests and extra content added.
  • Join Avenue functionality added to Lumiose City with Streetpass and Spotpass functionality.
  • Rhyhorn Racing becomes an actual playable feature.
  • Greater variety of battle facilities with actual twists on the battling, if not a full on Battle Frontier.
• More fleshed out storyline.
  • Explores Zygarde's role in Kalos' lore and its connection to the Ultimate Weapon and Xerneas/Yveltal.
  • Volcanion's abilities and its role as a nation builder in Southern Kalos is at least touched on if not fully explored.
  • Project AZOTH is fully explained.
  • AZ's full identity and name are revealed.
  • Full explanation of how Floette gained its Eternal Flower form.
  • Malva plays a significant role in the storyline if not as the new leader of Team Flare.
  • More personality for major characters such as gym leaders and Elite 4.

I highly doubt every single box on this list will be checked off, but this is in the ballpark of what Kalos needs for its followup game.

 

[Necrozma]

I'm neutral on having new pokemon in a Gen 6.5. I don't really know if it could work, but if it doesn't, I won't complain, and do hope Magearna would somehow work in Kalos, as 6th Gen has yet to have a mythical with base 100's across it's stats. Magearna would be the perfect one to fit there.

I don't think we can have gen 6.5 without new Pokemon - the whole concept of 6.5 is based on the idea that new Pokemon would be introduced in the middle of a generation.

 

[Esserise]

I don't think we can have gen 6.5 without new Pokemon - the whole concept of 6.5 is based on the idea that new Pokemon would be introduced in the middle of a generation.

There pretty much *have* to be new Pokémon, which is what I think Magearna is definitely hinting toward. Being able to round out the National Pokédex between X/Y and OR/AS, in addition to all of the Mythical Pokémon being distributed throughout the year, leaves the next game(s) with nothing to offer in that department unless they introduce new Pokémon. So I think that part is non-negotiable regardless of whether it's 6.5 or 7.

 

[godiego]

@6.5 folks: how do we explain how a fairly substantial crop of new Pokemon appeared out of the blue? like, why would they not be classified in northern Kalos (or really just the northern portion of the same region)?

 

[Platinum Lucario]

Yay! A brand new thread combining the speculations of both generations! And it's a much more regulated thread too.

Anyways, I'm kinda curious... if the seventh generation does get announced, then here's one thing that I would really hope to see: Pokémon Eggs with unique patterns! Just like in the anime!

 

[Esserise]

@6.5 folks: how do we explain how a fairly substantial crop of new Pokemon appeared out of the blue? like, why would they not be classified in northern Kalos (or really just the northern portion of the same region)?

Advocating devilishly for a moment; I guess that would depend on whether it would be a sequel or a rewrite. A sequel can just say that some new species migrated in the intervening time (Maybe they were drawn in by the blast from the ultimate weapon? That's about as much of an explanation as they gave to the Hoenn expansion.), and for a rewrite, it's a non-issue.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Advocating devilishly for a moment; I guess that would depend on whether it would be a sequel or a rewrite. A sequel can just say that some new species migrated in the intervening time (Maybe they were drawn in by the blast from the ultimate weapon? That's about as much of an explanation as they gave to the Hoenn expansion.), and for a rewrite, it's a non-issue.

Or the new species are native to Southern Kalos and migrated north when the mountains blocking that section were destroyed by Volcanion.

 

[Master Cyrus]

I just want Z. I always preferred Crystal/Emerald/Platinum over BW2 because it feels like I can get a definitive version that represents everything the new region has to offer. With BW2 it still feels like you're only getting part of the game.

 

[godiego]

Advocating devilishly for a moment; I guess that would depend on whether it would be a sequel or a rewrite. A sequel can just say that some new species migrated in the intervening time (Maybe they were drawn in by the blast from the ultimate weapon? That's about as much of an explanation as they gave to the Hoenn expansion.), and for a rewrite, it's a non-issue.

a Z-retcon of XY would be an apt explanation, yes. i was more thinking of in the event that it was not one. the former does present a possibility, however i don't really think XY has room for a sequel, that and it would be encroaching on the 'unique' space that BW2 occupies. i suppose that would be one explanation at least.

@Bolt the Cat: that doesn't really explain why Pokemon that are still Kalos-native aren't included in the Kalos Pokedex-- unless Southern Kalos is southern Kalos and is more of a Region Z (ie., unnamed region to the south that shares a border with Kalos). which of course would then get into the nitty gritty of whether or not Region Z actually exists.

 

[Esserise]

Or the new species are native to Southern Kalos and migrated north when the mountains blocking that section were destroyed by Volcanion.

But according to the editor's memos, that happened in the past; i.e. before the events of X/Y.

 

[Desdar300]

a Z-retcon of XY would be an apt explanation, yes. i was more thinking of in the event that it was not one. the former does present a possibility, however i don't really think XY has room for a sequel, that and it would be encroaching on the 'unique' space that BW2 occupies. i suppose that would be one explanation at least.

@Bolt the Cat: that doesn't really explain why Pokemon that are still Kalos-native aren't included in the Kalos Pokedex-- unless Southern Kalos is southern Kalos and is more of a Region Z (ie., unnamed region to the south that shares a border with Kalos). which of course would then get into the nitty gritty of whether or not Region Z actually exists.

Maybe those Pokémon were rediscovered and once thought to be extinct? I remember that AZ's little act killed a good chunk of the Kalos species iirc so they could go that route imo. Especially since this happens with different animals in real life.

 

[godiego]

Maybe those Pokémon were rediscovered and once thought to be extinct? I remember that AZ's little act killed a good chunk of the Kalos species iirc so they could go that route imo. Especially since this happens with different animals in real life.

so then the third Kalos game would have to be a sequel and i've already commented that it's not likely because 1) wouldn't work (XY tied up the story pretty well); and 2) it encroaches on BW2's, and to a degree, GSCHGSS's as well, uniqueness.

 

[Joshawott]

Considering Magearna's status as a Mythical Pokémon, I'm not sure I want to jump on the Generation 6.5 train just yet; especially when you consider that we're likely only about twelve months away from hearing about Generation 7. If this happened a year ago I would be less pessimistic about the idea, but now feels too late.

Here's one thing to think about in terms of the next core series game. They're most likely going to be compatible with Pokémon Bank, while the other games released that can use it will also remain compatible. Should new Pokémon be introduced like this, it's likely they'll either just not be able to be pulled into the previous games no matter if it's a new Generation or not, or they won't be able to be pulled into the Bank at all (I highly doubt this'll be the case, we're not dealing with Spiky-Eared Pichu and Cosplay Pikachu here).

Junichi Masuda mentioned the intention to use it for future generations as well when Pokémon Bank was first announced, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's already a countermeasure in place to allow full compatibility with current and future games. For example, perhaps we'll have to allocate certain boxes to particular games (such as X/Y/OR/AS, Z and Gen 7).