Pokemon players blast Game Freak for “skipping” Black & White remakes
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Black & White fans are furious that Game Freak skipped Gen 5 remakes in favor of the upcoming return to the Kalos region.
The Pokemon series has followed a format for remakes of the mainline games, with one set appearing on a new console each time, starting with Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen on the Game Boy Advance.
This system held true going into the Nintendo Switch era, with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Those weren’t the only games based on Gen 4, however, as the Switch also received Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a new prequel set in the ancient Sinnoh region.
Fans have been expecting a remake or a prequel set in the Unova region from Pokemon Black & White. Not only would this follow the convention created by Game Freak, but it would also follow up on the many Unova references made in the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC.
Pokemon Black & White fans are mad at being skipped
Unfortunately, the Gen 5 games are being skipped, as it was revealed during the 2024 Pokemon Day celebration that the series is returning to Kalos from Gen 6 in Pokemon Legends Z-A. This has infuriated fans on the PokemonBDSP Reddit, who have voiced their complaints online.
“It sucks because my favourite Pokemon Pansage is still not on the switch,” one user wrote, while another said, “That’s fine, I’ve got Palworld now.”
“Not being funny but I feel Johto/G,S,C got done dirty just as much,” one fan wrote, “Typical unimaginative logic said Legends Celebi for Johto, and B&W Remake for Unova. And they managed to find a way to just skip having to do either haha.”
“They don’t do normal remakes (aka, not let’s go) 2 generations in a row, at least since gen 4.” another fan explained, “I would’ve been surprised if they already got to gen 5 remakes because it isn’t consistent with what they’ve been doing.”
“Now, Legends Z is even less consistent with their patterns, so consistency and trends absolutely don’t tell everything, but they do tell some stuff.”
It’s possible that Pokemon Black & White remakes are in development, but the rumored delay of the Nintendo Switch 2 prompted their reveal to be pushed back. If Game Freak is following the one remake set per generation, then we might have to wait for the Switch’s successor before we can return to Unova.
