A reputable Pokemon leaker has indicated on Twitter that the next Pokemon Presents is coming in early June. The Direct, according to the leaker, will reveal the release dates for both Pokemon Unite and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Both previously announced games are expected to release in 2021, though no official release date has been confirmed yet. Pokemon Unite, a MOBA for Switch, iOS and Android, was first announced in June 2020 during a Pokemon Presents stream. The first closed beta for the game was hosted for Chinese players in late 2020, while a second closed beta was held in Canada this past February. The game will feature crossplay between the Switch and mobile platforms.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the upcoming Gen IV remakes for the Switch, were officially announced on February 26, 2021 during the 25th Annivessary Pokemon Presents Livestream. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are being developed by ILCA and are the first mainline Pokemon games not directly developed by Game Freak, though the studio will be overseeing development. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl feature the same top-down playstyle as the classic games, now with updated graphics for the Nintendo Switch.
The leaker, known as Kelios on Twitter, has a long history of correctly predicting the dates of Pokemon Presents streams and upcoming Pokemon games. Last November, Kelios claimed that the then-unannounced Gen IV remakes would release in November 2021, and that 2021 would also see the release of New Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Unite, and Detective Pikachu 2.
During the 25th Anniversary Pokemon Presents, the Pokemon Company also revealed an upcoming open-world game called Pokemon Legends: Arceus, expected to release sometime in 2022. The open-world Pokemon RPG will be a first for Game Freak following the positive reaction to the more open Wild Areas featured in Pokemon Sword & Shield.
It's been a year of huge releases for Pokemon, with plenty more on the way. New Pokemon Snap launched on Switch to critical acclaim and impressive sales last month. We let professional nature photographers rate our best snaps, which you can read about here. If you're still looking to finish up your Photodex, check out our complete guide and walkthrough here. Last week Target announced that it will no longer sell Pokemon cards due to several violent confrontations that have occurred over the past few weeks.