Nintendo and the Pokemon company hosted the first Pokemon Direct of the new year today, on the 9th January 2020. Plenty was revealed, including a a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon title for the Nintendo Switch and two expansion packs for Pokemon Sword and Shield.
According to Joe Merrick of Serebii on Twitter, this Pokemon Direct is 20 minutes long and is set to be the longest ever Direct stream which has hyped up fans of the beloved franchise.
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As this is the first Direct of the year, expect to hear about their plans for the entire year including some much awaited new release announcements.
With updates coming to Pokemon Sword And Shield, as well as a new Nintendo Switch title - what else could we hear about in future directs?
What Was Revealed?
Game Freak announced a new title for the Switch as well as two expansion packs for Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX will be the next Pokemon title for the Nintendo Switch. The game will release on March 6th, 2020 but those looking to get their hands on it even sooner can play the demo which will be available later today.
Those who do play the demo will be pleased to hear their save data will be transfered over to the full game upon release.
Isle of Armor & The Crown Tundra
In addition, Pokemon Sword and Shield will be releasing two different expansions, The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. Expect new content ranging from new gyms, customisation options and more than 200 Pokemon to catch and battle with including Legendaries from previous games .
The Isle of Armor will release in June 2020. An island off the coast of Galar, players will continue their story as they train alongside Leon's former mentor called Mustard and rise through the ranks in the Pokemon Battle Dojo.
The Crown Tundra will release in the fall of 2020. Players will traverse this cold, silvery land either by themselves or in a group with a new co-op experience.
How To Watch The Pokemon Direct?
To watch Pokemon Direct January 2020, fans can tune in to the livestream on the Pokemon YouTube and Twitch channels on January 9th, 2020 at 2:30PM GMT in the UK or 6:30AM PT/9:30AM ET in the USA.
You can watch the embed livestream VOD here:
What We Expected To See
It's entirely possible we'll only hear a few updates about what has already been announced however with the shows running time being longer than it's ever been then it would be wise to expect some significant news. Here are a few possibilities of what we could see:
Detective Pikachu (Switch)
It was announced back in May that Detective Pikachu will be getting it's very own game on the Nintendo Switch.
“Can’t wait to keep sleuthing with [Detective Pikachu]? Plans are under way to bring this crime-solving Pikachu to Nintendo Switch!” the company said on Twitter. “The details of this game are still a mystery...so keep checking back here for more clues.”
The games development has been kept under wraps with hardly a word mentioned since it's announcement so fans are confident we'll hear more on the 9th January.
Pokemon Sleep
Pokemon Sleep is an upcoming mobile game for Android and iOS devices.
Created by developer Select Button working with Pokemon GO creators, Niantic, Pokemon Sleep is an app to help people manage their sleep by gamifying it.
The apps official description says "Pokémon Sleep aims to turn sleeping into entertainment by having a player's time spent sleeping, and the time they wake up, effect the gameplay.".
Here's an official explanation from the Pokemon Twitter:
"What if you could continue training your Pokémon...even in your sleep? In 2016, Pokémon GO turned the simple act of walking into entertainment, making the entire world into a game. We’re about to do it again, Trainers—this time, for sleeping."
Diamond and Pearl Sinnoh Remake
According to rumours, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl could be getting a remake thanks to recent leaks around merchandise information.
Many Generation 4 products have begun reproduction to be released as soon as December 2019.
Pokemon Sword and Shield have only just released, so it may seem odd that merchandise of a previous generation is set to be re-released.
This has led many to speculate that this is a calculated move by the Pokemon Company to build up interest before announcing a Diamond and Pearl remake.
This isn’t the first time the company has ramped up production before an announcement, Kanto region merchandise was announced back in early 2017 in the lead up to Pokemon Go’s release.
Pokemon Home
Pokemon Home is the latest app coming from the Pokemon Company to help make your Pokemon adventures and experiences easier!
With a 2020 release date, plenty of questions are starting to surface as to how it works.
Pokemon Home is an app that will be available on smartphones and Nintendo Switch devices.
It is essentially a new version of the Pokemon Bank, where you can your Pokemon and works with a large majority of past Pokemon games.
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Written byOllie East@EastOllie