For the months leading up to February, supposed leaks and speculation were in abundance surrounding rumors of potential Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes for the Nintendo Switch. While fans were excited to finally learn that Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl would release sometime later this year, it has largely been radio-silence from The Pokemon Company on both the Gen 4 remakes and the surprise-reveal of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Unlike other remakes in the Pokemon series, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl take a noticeably more faithful approach in remaking the 2006 Nintendo DS games. While the more faithfully-adapted chibi artstyle received mixed reactions among fans, many are simply eager to learn more about the remakes, and although The Pokemon Company has been silent, an insider has revealed some new info on Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
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The news comes by way of credible Nintendo insider KeliosFR, whose tweets were translated by popular Pokemon leak Twitter account Centro Pokemon LEAKS. Kelios released several quick, but telling pieces of info on Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Among other tidbits, Kelios revealed that news on the games won't come before June, the reveal trailer for the remakes featured a build from January, though the games are mostly just being polished now, and that the games' release date is set.
It's worth noting that Kelios' mention of June may be a more telling month than it appears at a glance, as Nintendo was confirmed to appear at E3 this year, so it is likely that fans will learn more information on Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl come E3 this summer. Graphic polishing is something that some fans may be happy to hear, as upon the games' reveal, many voiced that they thought adding a thick, black outline to the character models in the overworld could make them stand out more and fit the chibi artstyle a bit better. Finally, it's reassuring to know that a release date is set in stone now, as it will likely also be revealed if new info comes at E3. Many fans expect the games to release in November, as other recent Pokemon games have.
Other tidbits Kelios had to reveal included that the footage from the Pokemon Legends: Arceus reveal trailer in February was from a December 2020 build, so the game may have been further along in development than when fans first saw it. Additionally, Kelios mentions that the exact "early 2022" release date for Pokemon Legends isn't set just yet, but will be defined later in the year.
Finally, Kelios threw in a quick tease by mentioning that Nintendo has another big game planned for release in 2022. This could be any number of things as far as fans are concerned, from Metroid Prime 4 to the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. For the meantime, fans may be able to rest assured knowing that progress on the upcoming Pokemon games is going smoothly.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release in late 2021 on the Switch.
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