Highlights
- The imminent shutdown of the 3DS' online functions poses a challenge for Pokemon games as it could result in certain critters being unavailable on the Switch.
- Nintendo urges players to transfer their collections of critters from Pokemon Bank to Pokemon Home before the former shuts down permanently.
- There is speculation that the next Pokemon game will be set in the Unova Region, which would be good news for trapped Gen 5 mons on the 3DS if they can be obtained in the new game.
The future of the Pokemon series after Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is a bit murky as there are several directions the franchise could head in and rumors of potential future games abound. One issue that throws a wrench in many players' plans is the imminent shutdown of the 3DS' online functions as Nintendo recently announced the servers for the handheld will be taken offline in Spring 2024. With the end of the 3DS' online services heralding the end of an era for the series, the next Pokemon game has an obvious direction to go in to avoid making some critters completely unavailable on the Switch.
While the software necessary to transfer mons from the 3DS to Pokemon Home will still function for the time being after the rest of 3DS' online services shutdown, Nintendo has stated that Pokemon Bank will not remain online forever and urges players to transfer their collections of critters to Pokemon Home sooner rather than later. Since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet don't have a complete National Dex, there is a group of mons who will remain trapped on the 3DS if not transferred to Pokemon Home before Pokemon Bank shuts down. Given how many of these mons are from Gen 5, the next game needs to be a return to Unova.
The Pokemon Series Needs Gen 5 Remakes Now More than Ever
Of the remaining mons unavailable on the Switch, the majority of them come from the Gen 5 games. Some critters like Snivy and Tepig who currently are not available on the Switch are confirmed to be coming in The Indigo Disk DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. However, others like Patrat, Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour have no foreseeable future accessibility on the Switch, unless Game Freak has plans for new games set in Unova where these critters could be obtainable.
Speculation on where the next Pokemon game could take place has already pinpointed the Unova Region as the most likely candidate after a series of rumors coupled with references to the region in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet sparked online discussion among the fan base. Credible leaker Riddler Khu has made some cryptic comments suggesting the next game will be related to Unova in some way. Additionally, The Teal Mask reveals that Blueberry Academy is located in the Unova Region, and several of its students appear to be relatives of existing characters from the Gen 5 games.
These clues are good news for the Gen 5 mons that risk being trapped on the 3DS after Pokemon Bank shuts down, but it's still unclear what type of game this next entry would be. While it could be a pair of simple Pokemon Black and White remakes, some have speculated that the Gen 5 games could be getting threequels in the form of Pokemon Black 3 and White 3. There is also a very distinct possibility that a sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus is in the pipeline that brings players to a past version of Unova while continuing the Pokemon Legends-style of gameplay.
Whatever form these new Unova games take, it's clear that they need to happen sooner rather than later so that there is no danger of any mons being trapped on the 3DS when Pokemon Bank shuts down. There are a few critters from other gens who risk being trapped on the 3DS as well, but ones like Pikipek and Minior are either confirmed or rumored to be coming in The Indigo Disk DLC. However, for the rest of these mons who largely hail from Gen 5, a new Unova game is a necessity to ensure that they are available on the current Switch platform before they can no longer be transferred.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available for Nintendo Switch.
