'Pokemon' Funko Pops Provide Possible Tease of "Gen 8" Games

A series of Pikachu Funko figures have provided fans with a tantalizing reminder that a new generation of Pokemon games will be released later this year.

Earlier today, Funko and the Pokemon Company announced a new series of Pikachu Funko POP! figures, each with its own seasonal theme (they also released a new Bulbasaur Pop). The first Pikachu figure to be released is called "One Lucky Day" and features Pikachu dressed as a Leprechaun. New figures will be released each month, all of which follow a seasonal theme. There are spring Funko figures with names like "Blooming Curiosity" and "Sweet Days are Here" and fall-themed figures with names like "Surprises to Fall Fo" and "Completely Thank-Full."

However, the new Funko POP! figures have attracted attention for a different reason. While silhouettes for most of the new figures were released on the Pokemon webpage, The Pokemon Company left off silhouettes for the figures released in November, December, and January 2020. This includes an interesting figure titled "A Cool New Friend," which is set to come out in November 2019.

We've known for a while that Game Freak is planning to release a pair of new "traditional" Pokemon games for the Nintendo Switch in the second half of this year. And we know that this game will include some new Pokemon and will make the beginning of a new generation of games. Since Pokemon games usually come out in November, it's possible that Funko and the Pokemon Company are hiding Pikachu's "cool new friend" because it's a brand new Pokemon from these games. After all, there are three hidden Funko POPs and three starter Pokemon, and the Pokemon Company usually likes to release merchandise pairing Pikachu with the new Pokemon before the release of a new game.

Of course, it's possible given the winter theme of the Funko that Pikachu's "cool new friend" is just a Pikachu snowman (Pikachu loves making snowman of itself) or some other sort of winter-themed surprise. But, the Funko POPs and the speculation surrounding them serve as a reminder that new Pokemon games are coming this year, and that we have a ton of new Pokemon news coming later this way.