On February 27, Pokemon Presents made a number of fun announcements for the Pokemon world, but it missed one key thing that players have wanted for a while now: Black & White Version remakes.
At Pokemon Presents, we got announcements about Season 2 of Pokemon Concierge, updates on TCG, and the announcement of Pokemon Champions – a new game for Switch and Mobile that focuses entirely on battling – among other things.
However, the one key announcement that many players were hopeful for was the Generation 5 remasters, and it simply never came.
In the immediate aftermath of the Presents, viewers were left disappointed, even calling it “awful” or simply suggesting that there was little there to truly get excited about.
And while Gen 5 remakes may not have saved that completely, there is a clear appetite for these games on the Switch, 15 years after they first came out on Nintendo DS.
It’s been almost 15 years since the Gen 5 games came out.
Return to classic gameplay
One key reason that players want a Gen 5 remake is that it would make the games accessible again. Originally released for the DS, and only on physical cartitrages, the generation has become increasingly difficult to play. It is also one of the late Gens to stick to the original Pokemon game formula, which many fans still enjoy playing today.
Much like the games that preceded them, Black and White featured eight gyms and an Elite Four in a more traditional setting, unlike recent Pokemon titles that delineate with a more open-world style, as opposed to the linear format of yesteryear.
Modern Pokemon games are also somewhat more complex, with advanced battle systems, Dynamax, Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Terastallization, and more.
Pokemon CompanyBlack and White represent one of the last ‘traditional’ Pokemon games.
It’s been long enough
The last Pokemon game that offered the classic vibe was the Gen 4 remakes, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, in 2021.
They were fun and brought one of the most underrated generations of Pokemon games back to the modern day for a new audience, but it’s been four years since they released, and there certainly hasn’t been any sign of a new game bringing back this style.
Not only that, but look at how long there was between remakes of other titles. Red/Blue and Fire Red/Leaf Green were six years apart, and there were nine years between Silver/Gold and Soul Silver/Heart Gold.
Bring it forward a bit, and there were 14 years between Diamond/Pearl and the release of Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl.
Now, almost 15 years since the release of Black/White, we’re officially looking at the longest gap between an original game and its remaster that Pokemon has had.
The disappointment from Pokemon players at the lack of Gen 5 announcements at Presents is clear to see. Just look at the response on social media, and you’ll find many fans anticipating a Black/White announcement that never came.
This isn’t at all to say that The Pokemon Company isn’t working on this exact project. For all we know, it may be an announcement they’ve got in the pipeline ready to give its own spectacle, or they may simply be waiting for Switch 2.
However, between all the various projects and the highly anticipated Gen 10 games, there’s no telling how long we might have to wait for these games to be remastered – if they are at all.
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