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Rumor: Pokémon on Switch is Returning to the Kanto Region

Detective Pikachu Episode 0
credit//The Pokémon Company

According to the latest possible leaks, it appears that the next major Pokémon title — you know, the one coming to the Nintendo Switch — will return the series to the original Kanto Region. The rumors started thanks to posts on image board 4chan.

As 4chan has a history of both true video game leaks and a large number of fake ones, the images might indeed be real. Or they could be well-manufactured fakes.

From GameInformer's report:

Titled Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Pokémon Let's Go: Eevee, the two titles are supposedly remakes or re-imaginings of Pokémon Yellow.

Pokémon Yellow was the third game of the first generation, slightly redesigned to be more in line with the anime, with changes like getting all of the starter Pokémon in your team and starting with Pikachu instead. The battle sprites were also redrawn to be a little less abstract than they were in Red and Blue and look more like the cartoon.

The rumors go on to suggest that the title is no accident and developer Game Freak is trying to leverage the success of mobile game Pokémon Go by combining mainstay Pokémon features with that of Go. The post talks about not only making catching more like Pokémon Go, but also integrating the Switch titles with the mobile games, including using Pokémon Bank to trade between them.

Finally, the alleged leaker says that Pokeride, the Alolan service to ride certain Pokémon around returns, as does the Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver feature of letting your Pokémon follow you. A few months ago, a blurry screenshot appeared on the internet of a trainer riding a Lapras with an Eevee riding on the trainer's head. It was dismissed as fake due to the blurriness of the shot and the inexplicable use of the Eevee riding on the trainer. While the rumor creator could have also seen that shot and simply based their post on it, it is definitely curious.

Pokémon rumors happen all the time and fans will go far, from speculation disguised as rumors, to fake screenshots, to even fangames presented as real ones. Since a Switch Pokémon title was announced at E3 last year, fans have gone wild with speculation over what the first mainline console Pokémon could be like. These rumors, however, got a twist earlier today.

Two domains, "pokemonletsgopikachu.com" and "pokemonletsgoeevee.com," were registered by the domain registration company CSC Corporate Domains Inc. This is notable because CSC Corporate Domains also registered the domains for Pokémon Sun and Moon, pokemon-sunmoon.com website, which is the official website for the Generation 7 titles on 3DS. The Pokémon Sun and Moon website lists Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo as owners, while the latest websites do not. That sort of information can be kept hidden easily, however.

Its also worth noting, as GameInformer points out in the article, that the Pokémon Company has indeed been pushing Eevee as a mascot for the series.

While we won't be able to verify the leaks until Nintendo's E3 press conference on Tuesday, June 12th, it is entirely possible that they are indeed true. After all, with both game domains registered, things do look promising.


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Madeline RicchiutoAbout Madeline Ricchiuto

Madeline Ricchiuto is a gamer, comics enthusiast, bad horror movie connoisseur, writer and generally sarcastic human. She also really likes cats and is now Head Games Writer at Bleeding Cool.
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