Highlights

  • Pokemon fans are still longing for the return of third version games.
  • A fan artist created a concept for Pokemon Viridian, featuring a mutated Cyclizar with elements borrowed from Koraidon and Miraidon.
  • Game Freak is moving on from third version games, focusing on expanding games through DLC instead of releasing brand new titles.

A Pokemon fan has shared a design for a hypothetical third version of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, calling it Pokemon Viridian. The design has an interesting backstory and the concept has led to Pokemon fans missing third versions of Pokemon games.

Getting a third variant of the Pokemon games goes all the way back to the first generation of games. Pokemon Yellow put its own Pikachu twist on the stories of Pokemon Red and Blue, but even before that, Japan's Pokemon Blue was essentially a remaster of their Pokemon Red and Green, and led to the global release version most fans are familiar with. While the trend of having a third game for each series entry has largely become something of the past, there are some fans who would like to see it return, including this fan artist.

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Reddit user EliteRobo04 shared their mock-up of box art for a third entry following Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Pokemon Viridian has a green box, as one would expect from the title, and a different version of the legendary Pokemon from Scarlet and Violet is on the cover. The artist calls it a mutated Cyclizar, and it borrows elements from Miraidon and Koraidon. While the Pokemon's overall build is more similar to that of Koraidon, with a pronounced wheel on its chest and more defined limbs, its face is similar to Miraidon, with an overall more rounded shape. Unlike either of them, it wears a small visor over its eyes.

EliteRobo04 also briefly explained the concept for a third release following Scarlet and Violet. Their idea is that both of the Scarlet and Violet professors build time machines simultaneously, but operating them at the same time leads to reality changing and fusing the past and the future together. While it's not clear exactly how the story would play out with such a situation, it is in keeping with the recent direction of games like Scarlet and Violet and even Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which have seen time play a big role in the titles.

Moving on From Pokemon Third Version Games

Unfortunately for fans of the idea, Game Freak is likely already moving on to concepts beyond Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. At the moment, fans are looking forward to the next Pokemon Legends game with hope that it will improve upon Arceus' formula and not have the same problems as Scarlet and Violet at launch.

While some fans still miss the days of third entries in the Pokemon series, it seems unlikely at this point that the trend will return. Pokemon has since moved on to using DLC to further expand games. While there are some pros and cons to both methods, with the rising price of video games, it may make more sense for the consumer to release expansions rather than brand new titles.