Last year was big for the Pokemon franchise because it was the 25th anniversary of Pokemon Red and Green releasing in Japan. There were no plans for an entire series to span eight different generations of mainline titles and plenty of side games back then, yet this year marked a big turning point for the series thanks to the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The tested Pokemon formula always had a character travel through a given region to discover its Pokemon, list them in the Pokedex, and form bonds with these strange creatures by battling other trainers and trying to pursue the title of Champion.
After Pokemon Legends: Arceus' success and the expectations placed on Generation 9 Pokemon games, this year could be another big one - especially with a rumored DLC for Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This also marks three years since the release of the last mainline title with Pokemon Sword and Shield, and many players believe that Generation 9 could very well come this holiday season, or at least see some teasers for next year. Amid that hype, a recent Pokemon leak suggested something big is scheduled for April, leaving just what that might be up for speculation.
Pokemon Games That Could be Announced in April 2022
The supposed insider, who goes by Riddler Khu, shared two images as clues for what the April announcement could be. One portrays Looker, and the other portrays Palmer. Looker is a detective for the International Police who comes to lose his memory as a result of being a "faller;" someone who travels through space and time, much like Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Ingo, who is a character from Pokemon Black and White. On the other hand, Palmer is the boss of the Battle Tower in Generation 4, and also the main rival Barry's father.
A riddle that goes with the images states these pictures are meant to look like something, but only if players are not looking directly at them. This led to a number of theories, with some stating that it could be a hint at Generation 9 through the sum of the buttons on Looker and Palmer's coats, and others stating that Palmer's coat has the Japanese kanji for "king" on its back, possibly alluding to "Pokemon King and Queen" for Gen 9. Other theories regarding Generation 9 Pokemon games see the titles as "Pokemon Sight and Touch" because Looker's prime sense is sight, whereas Palmer could stand for the palm of the hand.
More theories stray from mainline releases, with Looker possibly being a hint for the return of Detective Pikachu 2 on Switch, and Palmer as a new Pokemon Stadium game to allow the Pokemon competitive scene to go on beyond Sword and Shield. It's also been heavily rumored that this year will be the last for Sword and Shield's dominance as the only competitive hub around, so a new Pokemon Stadium game could change that. Another possibility is that Looker represents a clue for a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game or the remake on Switch, whereas Palmer stands for a competitive feature coming to Pokemon Legends: Arceus instead.
The latter doesn't seem feasible precisely because of the game's mechanics, which are not fully built for a competitive title and because Pokemon Legends: Arceus lacks a breadth of monster options. It's not impossible that Pokemon fans will return to the Orre region from Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, however. There are many possibilities the franchise could explore, and most of them make sense to a degree, but fans will have to wait and see what comes.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now for Nintendo Switch.
