The Pokemon Company Confirmed as One of Gamescom's "Highlights"

Nintendo won't be in attendance, but Pokemon will have a presence.

By Marc Deschamps

Gamescom has announced that The Pokemon Company will be one of several "line-up highlights" in August. The news comes just a few months after Nintendo confirmed that it will not be attending the show in Germany. That news was pretty surprising, given the fact that rumors have been circulating for about a year now that the so-called "Switch 2" was shown to select members of the gaming media at a closed door event held during Gamescom 2023. While The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Mario & Luigi: Brothership won't be at the show, it's now possible we could see news about Pokemon Legends: Z-A. 

Pokemon Legends: Z-A was announced on Pokemon Day in January, but details about the game have been basically nonexistent since. The game will return players to the Kalos region from Pokemon X and Y, and will see the return of the Mega Evolution mechanic. We don't know anything about the storyline or how it might offer additional insight into the events from X and Y, the way Legends: Arceus did with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Basically, what we do know that the game is coming sometime in 2025. 

While the first Pokemon Legends released in January 2022, presumably Legends: Z-A will happen sometime after that month. Nintendo typically does not publish two games in the same month, and we already know that Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will be released on January 16th. If the game is going to be released in the first half of 2025, it seems like we should start getting more info soon. Gamescom could be an opportunity for a release date announcement, or for some first hands-on impressions. 

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Of course, it's entirely possible that Pokemon's presence at Gamescom could be on the smaller side. We already know that Pokemon Play Lab will be at the event, where attendees can learn about the TCG, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and Pokemon Unite. Would Gamecom be hyping The Pokemon Company as a "highlight" if there won't be anything major to show? It's hard to say. However, Pokemon Worlds ends on August 18th, just three days before the start of Gamescom. It's possible we could see some kind of announcement at Worlds, with further information coming at Gamescom. With both of these events just a few short weeks away, hopefully we'll have a lot more information soon! 

Are you excited to see why Pokemon is heading to Gamescom? Do you think they'll have something to announce for Pokemon Legends: Z-A? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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