Pokemonfans are convinced thatBlack & Whiteare not getting remakes - at least not any time soon. Even though Gen 5 is next in line for the remake treatment, and even though it’s been four years since the release ofBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, people are still positive there is currently no new version of Black & White in development.
Why? Because last year’s Pokemon Teraleak (you know, the one where we learned about the human-Typhlosion love child?) included no mention of, reference to, or details from any kind of Black & White-based game. That’s the info every Pokeguy and gal is hanging their hat(terene) on. Personally, I’m not sure I buy it.
The Year Of Unova
Maybe it’s true. Maybe after remaking the first four Pokemon generations over the last 20 years (and remaking Gen 1 again in Let’s Go), Nintendo and Game Freak have just decided they don’t like money anymore. Maybe the Legends series, which is getting a new entry this year, likely on the Switch 2, has replaced remakes going forward. Maybe we’ll never see the return of Black & White, and if you ever want to play these 15 year old games again you’ll just have to dig out your DS and pray the battery hasn’t exploded yet. Maybe. But then why is Unova getting so much love this year?
The main attraction isPokemon Go, which kicks off its big Road to Unova event next ahead of Pokemon Go Tour: Unova, this year’s in-person event in Los Angeles and New Taipei City in February. Both the in-person event and the Global version in March will introduce Black & White Kyurem, the fusion of Kyurem with Reshiram and Zekrom, to Pokemon Go. The event also introduces Gen 5’s Deerling and will feature loads of Gen 5 Pokemon in the wild.
This is the fifth year of Pokemon Go Tour, which started with Gen 1’s Kanto and visited each subsequent generation’s region with each passing year, so it just so happens to be Unova in 2025. If that was the only hint it wouldn’t mean anything, but of course, there’s more.
Black Bolt & White Flare
This June a Black & White-themed Pokemon TCG set will release in Japan. The dual set, Black Bolt & White Flare, will feature cards of all 156 Unova Pokemon, headlined by Reshiram and Zekrom. As is almost always the case, we can probably expect an English version to follow a couple of months after.
We’ve seen some themed Pokemon sets recently, like last year’s 151 which only included Pokemon from the Kanto region, but a Black & White set in 2025? It’s suspicious. The current Scarlet & Violet series recently completed the storyline of the game, so I expect the TCG to transition to a Legends: Z-A theme later this year. Perhaps the card game needs to fill in some gaps before Gen 10 comes out, but in any event, an upcoming Unova-themed set is noteworthy.
Those are the official Unova tie-ins we know about, but there are rumors of others. We’re due for a Gen 5 Pokemon in Pokemon Unite. Black & White is notoriously the most underrepresented generation in the game, with just three ‘mon compared to other generations with as many as 18. The last to be added was Zoroark over a year ago, so with Galarian Rapidash becoming the eighth Gen 7 Pokemon to join the game this month, it might be time for another Gen 5 Pokemon. Maybe this year’s Pokemon Day will finally reveal one. Volcarona, Victini, and Golurk are popular choices.
You’d think withPokemon Legends: Z-Acoming this year, we’d be seeing more Kalos tie-ins, but for some strange reason, this is turning out to be the year of Unova. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything, but hopefully it does.
