There is a lot going on for the Pokemon Company in 2021; between the 25th anniversary ofPokemongames,New PokemonSnap, and then the announcement of bothPokemonBrilliant DiamondandShining PearlandPokemonLegends:Arceus.Pokemongames have shaped entire generations of video game fans, and they are still doing as much with new and innovative titles likePokemon Legends:Arceus, and remakes of past generations. Especially considering how much thePokemongaming community enjoyed previous remakes,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare among the most anticipated games to come out this year.
Today, Nintendo’s showcase at E3 broke a tradition lasting several years by not having anything to show forPokemongames, be itPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining PearlorPokemon Legends:Arceus. As a matter of fact, Nintendo showedPokemon-related content at E3 for seven years in a row, starting in 2013 andPokemonnever skipping E3 until 2021. E3 wasn’t held last year because of concerns about the pandemic, and this year it came in a digital format that was largely appreciated by the masses despite its longstanding tradition of being an event people would go and watch in person.
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Nintendo’s History of Pokemon Announcements at E3
Nintendo’s history with Pokemon games showcased at E3 over the past years started withPokemon XandYand the reveal of the new Fairy type, and it goes all the way up to 2019 whenPokemon SwordandShieldcontent was shown. This means that not featuringPokemongames marks the end of this major tradition of having aPokemon-related announcement every year, and it also puts a fulltrailer forPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlin a weird spot. The reason for this is that E3 would have been a great time to fully revealBrilliant DiamondandShiningPearl, and probablyPokemon Legends: Arceusas well, but not doing so poses a big question.
Thequestion withBrilliant DiamondandShiningPearl, and possiblyLegends:Arceus, is when they will receive a long-overdue update if not at E3? The likely answer here is that a Pokemon Direct closer to the release date ofBrilliant DiamondandShiningPearl, which is scheduled for November 19 of this year, will probably be held by Nintendo later this year. This probably putsPokemon Legends:Arceus' full trailer further down the line, maybe around the timeBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwill release.
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Why Nintendo May Have Skipped Pokemon Content at E3
There could be a few reasons for Nintendo not to showPokemoncontent this year, and they may have to do with the reception ofPokemon Legends: Arceusor other factors. It should be noted that while many fans were enthusiastic aboutPokemon Legends: Arceusas soon as the first trailer came out, others noticed that the game was far from being finished and optimized, and thus there some complaints. Nintendo and the Pokemon Company could be playing it safe, leaving a full trailer for when the game is in a completely playable state, or maybe bigger plans are being concocted for its debut.
However,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlbeing absent from E3 is sad news for fans of the series and generation four in particular, precisely because of how eager gamers are to play the remakes. Breaking the E3 tradition could also mean that next year Nintendo could skipPokemonannouncements once again unless bigger projects are in the works, likegeneration nine games. Here’s to hoping that the less hectic environment of a future Pokemon Direct will be a better space than E3 forBrilliantDiamond,ShiningPearl, andLegends:Arceus.
PokemonBrilliantDiamondandShiningPearlwill be released on June 08, 2025, for Switch.
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