Pokemon’s 9th generation games were a major departure for the series, so many fans are wondering what’s in store for the next generation. The announcement of generation 10 is only a matter of time, and of course, in the meantime, rumors and leaks have kept Pokemon fans speculating about what the future holds.
With Pokemon’s gen 9 era seeming to wrap up, players have turned their attention to what might be coming down the line. Recently, a few prominent leakers have teased fans with possible reveals for generation 10. As always, these leaks and rumors are not official, and are entirely speculation, but the possibility of answered questions has fans talking. With potential indicators of what the new region will be, as well as a possible release window, people who buy into the rumors are already beginning to await official news.
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Are Pokemon Generation 10 Leaks to be Believed
One announcement that always receives high speculation is which real world location the next Pokemon region will be based on. Though initially only set in Japanese-inspired locations, ever since generation 5, the Pokemon world has expanded to include both United States and European-based locales. Game Freak has even begun sneaking Easter eggs based on other Pokemon regions into some games, sometimes even regions players haven’t been to yet. With that in mind, players began hunting for clues about the inspiration for gen 10 even before Scarlet and Violet were officially released.
When some players received early copies of the gen 9 games, leaked pictures began circulating. The leaks showed the player interacting with a picture that claimed to be of a different region. Based on the picture, fans began making links to European locations, such as Spain, Italy, France, or even Germany, leading some to believe that gen 10 would be set in one of these locations.
Because generation 9 was set in Spain and generation 6 was set in France, those two possibilities were quickly ruled out, leaving only Italy and Germany as strong contenders.
This was as far as the theory went through, until quite recently. On October 1st, Riddler Khu, a prominent Pokemon leaker, who has been correct in the past, sent out a tweet saying “New Project Hint” followed by the ‘folded hands’ emoji. This emoji is typically used in one of 2 ways: either as a representation of praying hands, or as two people high-fiving. Khu’s followers quickly began trying to decipher the clue, with one pointing out that the ten fingers of the hands might be saying that the new project being worked on is the 10th generation games. Others theorize that the praying hands may reference Vatican City in Italy, where the head of the Catholic Church is located. Based on the tweet’s comments, most people seemed to agree that the clue pointed towards both gen 10 and an Italian Pokemon region. Khu seemingly confirmed this as correct by saying “Checked the replies, few people nailed it so quickly, lol, good job.” Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that even with Khu’s history of being a reliable leaker, nothing they say is backed by official sources, so is still just conjecture.
Gen 10 Rumors are Making the Rounds
While the region leaks at least have the backing of a well-known personality, other rumors have been circulating that don’t seem to have a concrete source. These seem to be based on Game Freak’s past activity and what the company may do in the future. Because of gen 9’s push toward co-op gameplay, some players believe that generation 10 will be even more co-op focused. This is potentially feasible, yet other players point out how buggy and incomplete Scarlet and Violet felt at launch, claiming that more co-op would only worsen that issue in the future. Because of this, some believe that generation 10 may mark the end of Pokemon’s experimentation with open-world gameplay, and even that the next games could return to a 2D art style.
Other major rumors center around when the next game might be announced or released. Riddler Khu seemed to point to the generation 10 games launching shortly after the release of the Switch 2, which is believed to be ready for an announcement in the coming months. With no word about the next generation yet, it looks unlikely that fans will see the games in 2025, so it is generally believed that they will come out in 2026. Again, there is no confirmation of this information, but a 2026 release date could coincide with the Pokemon series’ 30th anniversary, making it a strong possibility.
Pokemon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.
- Created by
- Satoshi Tajiri
