When it comes to remakes of the main seriesPokemongames,Game Freakhas mostly stuck to a pretty predictable pattern. In 2004, the company releasedPokemon FireRedandLeafGreenfor the Game Boy Advance. Then five years later, it releasedPokemon HeartGoldandSoulSilverfor the DS. And then five years after that, in 2014, it launchedOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphire. However, it’s been six years since those games, and noDiamondandPearlremakes have been announced to date.
Pokemon DiamondandPearlremakes seem like an inevitability, but it remains to be seen when the games will be available. Right now, Game Freak is busy working on theCrown TundraDLC forPokemon SwordandShield, which is expected to launch at some point later this year. However, rumors persist that the company is also busy working onPokemon DiamondandPearlremakes, and now a new rumor claims to reveal when fans can expect those games, and a feature they will entail.
RELATED:Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Was Supposed to Feature Red, But Not Like You Think
According to the rumor, thePokemon DiamondandPearlremakesare expected to launch November 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. One look at thePokemonfranchise’s release history in recent years makes this a pretty safe bet, and so if the games do exist, November 2021 does seem like one of the most likely release months. Meanwhile, the rumor also says that theDiamondandPearlremakes will feature Gigantamaxing.
Gigantamaxingis a relatively new feature in thePokemonfranchise, introduced in 2019’sPokemon SwordandShield. Gigantamaxing allows Pokemon to temporarily transform into massive versions of themselves, but with some significant visual changes. If the rumor is to be believed, thePokemon DiamondandPearlremakes will be introducing Gigantamax forms for Claydol, Dragalge, Empoleon, Floatzel, Garchomp, Infernape, Luxray, Mantine, Mismagius, and Torterra.
This rumor stems from 4chan, and so fans should take it with a massive grain of salt. Usually 4chan “leaks” would be immediately discredited, but there have been legitimatePokemonfranchise leaks from the site in the past. In fact, virtually everything to do withPokemon SwordandShieldleaked on 4chan, with that poster prematurely revealing everything from the starter Pokemon designs to the Gigantamax feature and much more.
IfPokemon DiamondandPearlremakes are in development, then fans shouldn’t expect any official announcement until some point in 2021 at the earliest. Right now, the focus is on the upcomingCrown TundraDLC, and it wouldn’t make sense for Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, or Game Freak to distract fans withDiamondandPearlremakes just yet.
Pokemon DiamondandPearlremakes have not been officially announced.
MORE:Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Remakes Seem Less Likely By the Day, But There’s Still Hope
