With thePokemonfranchise approaching its 30th anniversary, rumors about where the beloved creature-collecting series will take players in the future have been swirling. While the next generation ofPokemonis still likely a ways off withPokemon Legends: Z-Aprimed to be the next game in the franchise, it’s possible the Gen 10 could take the biggest leap the series has seen so far. With the corePokemonseries remaining largely unchanged for its near-30-year existence, Gen 10 undergoing a total reboot of the franchise isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Therelease ofPokemon Black and Whiteand the start of Gen 5was the series' first attempt at a soft reboot, with the games moving out of a Japanese-inspired setting for the first time and featuring only a new crop of critters in the regional Pokedex. WhilePokemon Black and Whitestill retained the majority of the franchise’s core mechanics, the Gen 10 games could make some significant changes. AfterPokemon Legends: Z-A, the franchise may be ready to head in an entirely new direction with Gen 10.
Pokemon Gen 10 May Want to Follow in Gen 5’s Footsteps
Pokemon’s Formula is Due for a Dramatic Shake-Up
After generations of featuring the same core gameplay mechanics, thePokemonfranchise has started to branch out with titles likePokemon Legends: ArceusandPokemon Scarlet and Violet.Legends: Arceusflipped the traditional series conventions on their head with an emphasis on action RPG elements, catching critters in real-time, and a narrative that broke from the typical gym challenge storyline, whileScarlet and Violetmarked the franchise’s first true open-worldexperience. However, both of these titles still retained familiar franchise elements at their core, such as creatures from previous generations or a traditional gym challenge storyline.
PokemonGen 10 could go above and beyond the changes introduced in these games and truly reboot the franchise by combining the best of the two games to shake up the core gameplay and narrative beats. ThePokemonseries' usual conventions like a regional gym challenge, limiting party sizes to six mons, and even theGrass-Fire-Water starter triocould be broken in a franchise reboot. With the active time battles thatPokemon Legends: Z-Ais introducing, it feels like Gen 10 has all the tools to rewrite the franchise’s longtime script.
Pokemon Sun and Moonwere the first games to really break the gym challenge narrative in the main series with the Island Trial Challenge, a formulaPokemonGen 10 could follow if it were to reboot the franchise.
A Reboot Could Help Alleviate the Franchise’s Growing Pokedex Problems
One of the biggest reasons whyPokemonGen 10 should be a reboot of the series is to help manage an ever-growing Pokedex size. Ever since the infamous “dexit” incident ofPokemon Sword and Shield,modernPokemongames have omitted the complete National Dexas the franchise crosses the 1,000 unique mon threshold. While it might seem somewhat counterintuitive,PokemonGen 10 featuring a completely unique crop of 150 mons in its regional Pokedex may be for the best.
Rather than making concessions on which returning mons should be featured in theGen 10 Pokedex, the games could lean into the dexit controversy and lock any returning mons to the post-game.Pokemon Black and Whitewere initially criticized for following this formula, but many fans have come around to the idea in the years since these games' initial release. IfPokemonGen 10 goes this route, it would naturally make sense for past creatures to be added via post-launch updates and DLC, similar to howScarlet and Violet’s The Teal Mask and Indigo Disk handled them, potentially allowing the games to eventually contain the entire National Dex over time.
Alternatively, the Gen 10 games could contain only a new batch of 150 Pokemon and no returning mons, which may be a controversial but effective way to manage an oversized Pokedex.
