There’s no doubt that 2022 was a great year for Pokémon fans.

Not only did we kick-off the year with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but we also got the introduction to the ninth generation of Pokémon with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Both of these games offered a new, open-world perspective on the classic Pokémon formula with fans loving mechanics introduced in both games. There’s no doubt more content is coming this next year.

First of all, every year since 2016, there’s been a new Pokémon game released around the holidays. The one exception of this was the Expansion Pass downloadable content for Sword and Shield. The first half of the DLC, the Isle of Armor, released just 7 months after the release of Sword and Shield, in June of 2020. The second half of the DLC, The Crown Tundra, came out a few months later in October. In November of 2020, the Pokémon Company released physical copies of both Sword and Shield with the Expansion Pass included.

Firstly, I’d love a Scarlet and Violet Expansion Pass. The base games offer so much in the forms of Titan Pokémon, a challenging Pokémon League, and an interesting story with the villainous Team Star. I’d love to see more regional forms of some of my favorite Pokémon, or new Paradox Pokémon, which are Pokémon from another time with connections to other existing ones. DLC like this would be my #1 guess if I were a betting man. 

The other smash hit of 2022 was Pokémon Legends: Arceus, taking players back in time to the Hisui region, which would become Sinnoh in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl. The game spiced up the traditional Pokémon game by having a larger focus on catching Pokémon and filling out the Pokedex rather than battling trainers and becoming champion. The Pokémon Company is no doubt planning a followup game, most likely set in a similar setting. I’d love to see a game building off of the Johto region from Gold, Silver, and Crystal. We haven’t seen the Johto region since 2009’s Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver for the DS, and I’m sure a return in this style would be another smash hit like Pokémon Legends: Arceus. 

But remember, Pokémon also has a plethora of other games like Pokémon Mystery Dungeons DX or New Pokémon Snap. There’s a solid chance we could get a new entry in one of these series, though I’d love to see a revival of some of their older games. We know Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2 are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online services via the Expansion Pack later this year, so maybe we’ll see a follow-up with a third entry. Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon’s widely forgotten GameCube duology of games, could also make for a great remaster on Switch. Or maybe The Pokémon Company will finally acknowledge Pokémon Conquest, the tactics game for the DS. There’s a deep well on Pokémon side games that remains untouched that I’m sure fans would love to see make a comeback.

The Pokémon Company usually saves their announcements for Pokémon Day, February 27th, which is the anniversary of the day Red and Green versions were released back in 1996. With that being only two months away, do you think we’ll hear any big news? What sort of games are you hoping to hear about? Let us know in a comment, or join the Boss Rush Discord and join the conversation.

Nintendo Pow Block Podcast – Wednesdays at 7AM ET

Nintendo Pow Block

Nintendo Pow Block is Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network’s Nintendo podcast. Each week, Edward, Corey, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk about the week in Nintendo, including news, rumors, new games, questions, and the fan-favorite Snacktendo segment. Check out Nintendo Pow Block Live on Twitch every Monday night at 8:30PM Eastern / 5:30PM Pacific or on Podcast Services and YouTube Wednesday mornings at 7AM. If you enjoy the show, consider leaving us a five-star rating on iTunes and Spotify. Thanks for listening to Nintendo Pow Block!

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