Are Pokemon’s “Gen 9” Games Coming in 2022?

The release date of Pokemon Legends: Arceus has fans buzzing about the potential release of a new generation of Pokemon games in 2022. Earlier today, The Pokemon Company announced that it would be releasing Pokemon Legends: Arceus on January 22nd, 2022. The announcement was a surprise for a few reasons, not only because the game is coming out just over two months after the release of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but also because the games leave room for the release of a “main series” Pokemon game during its traditional release window in 2022. That has fans speculating whether The Pokemon Company will release its next generation of Pokemon games in 2022, which would add a new region and new Pokemon to the franchise.

The Pokemon fanbase unofficially labels Pokemon games by generation, which are always marked by a new Pokemon game set in a new region and featuring new Pokemon. We’re currently in the eighth generation of Pokemon games, which started with the launch of Pokemon Sword and Shield in 2019. Instead of receiving an “enhanced version” of Pokemon Sword and Shield, The Pokemon Company instead opted to release DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield that nearly doubled the size of the game. The upcoming games Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus are also both considered “Gen 8” games.

There is some evidence that a “Gen 9” Pokemon game could be released in 2022. Game Freak (the developer of the main series of Pokemon games) has two development teams. While one is assumably working on Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the other is NOT working on Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as those games are being developed by a third party. Additionally, the past few generations have been released in three year cycles. “Gen 6” launched in 2013, “Gen 7″ launched in 2016” and “Gen 8” launched in 2019. Following that pattern, we’re certainly due for a new generation of Pokemon games to launch in 2022. Finally, there’s the curious timing of Pokemon Legends: Arceus’s release. We knew that the game would be released in “early” 2022, but January 2022 is incredibly close to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl‘s release. The January release allows for The Pokemon Company to start its traditional marketing ramp-up for a new generation of Pokemon games, with an announcement around Pokemon Day (February 27th) followed by more frequent updates over the summer and into the fall. The cycle also lines up with Pokemon Journeys seemingly winding down towards a conclusion – it’s possible that the current anime will incorporate the Sinnoh games somehow, but it seems unlikely that it can keep up its current arc for another 18 months.

There’s also the business of video game releases to consider. Save for last year, when The Pokemon Company tested out DLC content for its games, we’ve had a main series Pokemon game release every holiday shopping season since 2016. Additionally, it’s incredibly unlike The Pokemon Company to go a full two years between releases. We’ve only seen that happen once in the last 20 years – there was a 24-month gap between the release of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and Pokemon Sun and Moon. Waiting until holiday season 2023 would mean a likely 22-month gap between Pokemon games, which just doesn’t seem very likely given how reliant Nintendo is on the Pokemon franchise to keep up its impressive annual figures.

While fans are speculating about the future of the Pokemon franchise, we should also keep in mind that we are getting two Pokemon games in a 3-month stretch, a first for the franchise. Regardless of when “Gen 9” will be announced, fans should still be very excited about the future of the Pokemon franchise.