Pokémon Day, the day when Pokémon Red and Green were first released in Japan almost 30 years ago, has arrived and so has the annual February Pokémon Presents where we get to see a peek at what’s to come for the Pokémon franchise. Compared to previous years, 2024’s reveals were a bit more low-key, with only two new announcements, but what we saw was still exciting, especially as we near the series’ 30th Anniversary in 2026.
Firstly, the Pokémon Presents announced a set of special Tera Raid battles coming to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Between February 28th and March 17th, players will get to battle against exclusive Mighty versions of Venasaur, Blastoise, and Charizard, all of whom have unique Tera Types not seen anywhere else. This is the first time the Mighty Charizard 7-Star Tera event is rerunning so be sure to prepare your teams if you want these distinct nostalgic starters in your game.
The presentations also went over several upcoming or recent updates to several spinoffs and mobile games. Pokémon Go is having a crossover event with the new Pokemon: Horizons anime series where you can obtain a special Pikachu wearing Cap’s hat, whereas Raikou, Enteri, and Suicune are set to appear in Pokémon Sleep from March onward. Meanwhile, Pokémon Masters EX is celebrating its 4.5 Anniversary with several new Sync Pairs – including Champion Silver and Mega Tyranitar – and plenty of free Gems, Gimmighoul and Goldengo are joining Pokémon Cafe Remix in a special event, and three new playable Pokémon are set to arrive in Pokémon Unite in the next few weeks.
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- Special 7-Star Tera Raids
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- Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Aside from updates to the current catalog of Pokemon spin-offs and mobile games, one of the two major announcements was for a new Pokémon TCG-centred mobile game set to release at some point in 2024. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is a new mobile title being developed in collaboration with Creatures Inc., the creatives behind the official Pokemon TCG, and DeNa, the makers of Pokemon Masters EX and it aims to be a fresh and streamlined way of both collecting cards and playing the TCG straight from your phone.
Every day, players will get to open two packs of cards for free (with more available via optional purchases) and the sets, and cards, seem to be exclusive to the mobile release. Furthermore, Pocket will have special Immersive Cards which act like Special Illustration Rares, with the ability to hop into the card illustration. Pocket is also set to have a more streamlined way of battling other players, with rules based on the already existing rulesets in the modern game
Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
The last announcement of the Pokémon Presents was also the largest with the confirmation of a new title in the Pokemon Legends series. Unlike what most people predicted – which was a Generation 5 Remake or Legends title – the next big Pokémon game will be Pokemon Legends: Z-A, a step back into the past of Kalos, the region based on France where the Pokemon X and Y games took place.
Although the reveal trailer didn’t show any gameplay, it did hint that the game will take place during the ‘urban redevelopment’ of Lumiose City, the main central city in modern Kalos. Additionally, just like how Pokémon Legends: Arceus was named after an iconic Legendary Pokémon from Sinnoh, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is named after, and will likely revolve around, the illusive third Legendary from Kalos Zygarde, fulfilling many long-forgotten dreams of Pokémon Z.
However, we won’t be getting our hands on this exciting new release anytime soon as Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set to launch sometime in 2025.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
SOURCE: Pokémon Presents | 2.27.24
