Last month, there have been reports that came out saying that the highly-anticipated role-playing game “Pokemon Z” shall no longer come out this year because the game is still in development.
It was a major disappointment to widely anticipating fans and gamers who have been told sometime late last year that “Pokemon Z” may indeed come out this year along with the mobile augmented reality game “Pokemon Go.”
Back then, the Japanese gaming magazine CoroCoro also hinted that the games might come out sometime in February as part of the 20th-anniversary celebration of the franchise this year.
But February has come and gone and there was no “Pokemon Z” although game developer Niantic did confirm that “Pokemon Go” is confirmed to come out this year.
Based on the full-length magazine feature of the video game on CoroCoro, “Pokemon Z” shall feature the mysterious legendary Pokemon named Zygarde. Zygarde is said to be the fusion of two legendary Pokemons from “Pokemon X and Y” – Xernaes and Yveltal.
Zygarde first appeared in “Pokemon X and Y” and gamers believe that as the main protagonist to the successor game to “Pokemon X and Y,” “Pokemon Z” is sure to be an epic video game as the new Zygarde will be, notes Crossmap.
Despite all the looming prospects that “Pokemon Z” would not be released on the Nintendo gaming consoles this year, fans and gamers are still nurturing hopes that developer Game Freak might change its mind and released the game eventually.
Replacement games
Meanwhile, in lieu of the push back in the release of “Pokemon Z” from this year to possibly next year, there are now reports going around that the two newly-announced games of the franchise – “Pokemon Sun” and “Pokemon Moon” – shall serve as its ultimate replacement, points out the Ecumenical News.
Reports have it that the two new game titles will be released at the same time this year not only in one area but across the globe and shall even be available in certain languages. But no specific release date has been announced as of yet.
Tsunekasu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokemon Company, said that the two games will enable players from around the world to interact through friendly competition.
The executive also alluded that having two games instead of one is certainly better for gamers, without specifically mentioning anything about “Pokemon Z.”
Everything comes together this year
While it has yet to announce a specific launching and release dates for “Pokemon Sun” and “Pokemon Moon” the tease clearly indicates that both will happen this year as Game Freak cited that everything comes together in 2016.
The “Pokemon Sun” and “Pokemon Moon” games will come to the Nintendo 3DS gaming console and the speculations are rife that it could officially come out during the Holidays of 2016.
But before gamers ultimately feel bad about the push back in the release date of “Pokemon Z,” there are also reports saying that Zygarde will actually be part of the “Pokemon Sun” and “Pokemon Moon” games. The same goes for both Volcanion and Mangearna, who are likely to have crucial roles to play on the Sun and Moon storylines.
While there is no confirmation from Game Freak, what seems clear is that most of the characters speculated to headline “Pokemon Z” shall also be part of “Pokemon Sun” and “Pokemon Moon,” which sort of makes the latter games as sort of prologues of the former.
There are also reports that say that “Pokemon Sun” and “Pokemon Moon” could also involve the presence of Xerneas and Yveltal, the lead characters in the predecessor game “Pokemon X and Y.” However, it is not clear how the two characters will play out in the new game and mix it up with the likes of Zygarde, Volcanion, and Mangearna.
There are also rumors that say that Game Freak might launch a new title later this year vice “Pokemon Z” and it is not going to be “Pokemon Sun” and “Pokemon Moon” but “Pokemon Rainbow.”
According to MetalDave of Ninten Gen, a marketing employee of Nintendo of America claimed that in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise this year, “Pokemon Rainbow” will be launched.