Pokemon Leak May Hint at New Next-Gen Game

A new Pokemon leak may have just dropped a major hint at the next big game in the series expected to release in 2021, and maybe the first Pokemon game on the new "next-gen" Nintendo Switch rumored to be shipping next year, often under the moniker, Nintendo Switch Pro. The new leak actually comes way of a new trademark that has surfaced online for "Entei," one of the three "Legendary Beasts" that debuted in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. As you may know, the Pokemon is certainly one of the more iconic faces of the series. It's not on Pikachu level, but it's certainly among the most recognizable faces and names.

The patent comes via both Nintendo and Game Freak, which apparently filed for it together, and of course, this has led to speculation that it's for the next major installment in the series, expected to release in 2021.

Of course, not every Pokemon is trademarked, which makes this trademark for Entei certainly interesting. The speculation being that Entei is involved in a major way with next year's game. And the most common theory right now is this is a new Let's Go game set in the Johto region. In other words, the title of the game could be Let's Go Entei. However, if this is the case, what Pokemon would be in the other title? Surely it couldn't be one of the other Legendary Beasts, because the third would then be left out. This doesn't completely poke a hole in the theory, but it does cast some doubt on it.

Unfortunately, for now, all we can do is speculate. This does seemingly lineup with a recent hint about the next major Pokemon game from a prominent leaker, but at the moment, this may be a case of connecting dots that aren't there.

For now, take everything here with a major grain of salt. While this trademark is certainly suspicious, it's unwise to draw any concrete conclusions from it. There's a lot of possible explanations for this trademark, including many that aren't nearly as exciting as the next big game in the series.

H/T, Japanese Nintendo.