Does Pokemon really need an introduction? The franchise has dominated the world for almost two decades now, with each entry in the franchise becoming more popular than the last. Even when the franchise seemed to be out of ideas (right around the time when Black & White 2 were released), Nintendo managed to revitalize the franchise and sold millions of 3DS consoles in one fell swoop. Pokemon X & Y were huge hits – and now it seems like Nintendo may finally be working on a proper follow-up.
Images from the Japanese gaming magazine CoroCoro (via IGN) have made their way online, and while the Pokemon franchise is no stranger to leaks, the timing makes the news that much more interesting. As it stands, Nintendo has yet to announce the next Pokemon game – so, why are new monsters suddenly making their way into the franchise?
The first seems to be tied directly to the latest season of the long-running Pokemon anime, titled XY & Z: Greninja, the frog-like Starter Pokemon from X & Y, is getting a new Mega Evolution. Dubbed 'Ash's Greninja,' the new form looks to be an exclusive to the anime: considering that Ash doesn't really exist in the world of the games, it'd be strange to see a Pokemon that references him. Then again, it's entirely possible that Nintendo could simply rename the new form for an upcoming game. For now, however, it looks as though Ash's Greninja will likely stay an anime-only character.
More interesting is the updated form of Zygarde, one of Pokemon X & Y's Legendary Pokemon. In X & Y, Zygarde took the form of a green-and-black snake creature, but apparently, that was just scratching the surface:
It now appears as though Zygarde has his own, dedicated Evolutionary line – a first for a Legendary Pokemon. The first three forms – Core, Cell and 10%, respectively – are all vastly different from the Pokemon that fans are familiar with ... but again, that's just the beginning.
On top of the previous forms, Zygarde now features his own Gundam-esque Mega Evolution: the so-called 'Perfect' form. Again, this new form features a radically different design, and it doesn't look like any of these creatures would be a part of the same family – but does it really prove that a new game is in the works?
While it's impossible to confirm anything just yet, the timing of the leak is suspect: with no new game teased for 2016 (otherwise known as the 20th anniversary of the franchise), it's almost guaranteed that Nintendo has something up its sleeve. Plus, several other games in the franchise were reworked into a combined title: Gold & Silver became Crystal; Ruby & Sapphire became Emerald; Diamond & Pearl became Platinum; and so on. If Nintendo was getting ready to combine X & Y, it'd only make sense that they redesign and expand upon the game's mascot Pokemon.
Of course, nothing is confirmed until Nintendo makes an official statement, but for now, it looks like Pokemon fans may have a new title to look forward to soon.
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