What Does The Pokemon Presents Date Mean For The Switch 2 Reveal?

Anytime Pokemon Go updates, the entire contents of said update is immediately uploaded online and datamined so there are minimal surprises. The latest datamine revealed the existence of a presentation on Pokemon Day (February 27th, 2025), which should surprise no one since they hold one every year on this date.

What's interesting is that this is the first Pokemon presentation since the announcement of Pokemon Legends: Z-A one year ago. We have heard minimal about even spin-off titles since that time and there has been no new information about Z-A itself in the time since. Since then, there has been rampant speculation (and manufacturing reports) about the existence of the successor to the Nintendo Switch. This has led me (and probably others) to speculate that Pokemon Legends: Z-A could be a potential bridge title like Breath of the Wild was when the Switch itself launched.

This puts Nintendo in a weird situation. They have Donkey Kong Country Returns HD next week but then after that, the two remaining major releases for 2025 are undated. Both Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A do not have release dates, presumably by design because they're intended to be early days titles that are used to sell the successor to the Switch.

Still, since it is confirmed we are getting some news about an upcoming game that is a major system seller for Nintendo at the end of February, it's probably a safe bet that we are going to get some news about the Switch successor before that. Simply put, the successful launch of the Switch 2 (or whatever it ends up called) is too important for Nintendo to not pull out all the stops. If the desire is to have Pokemon Legends: Z-A bridge the gap between the two, Nintendo needs to both announce the release date and reveal the console itself before February 27th.

I'll take this one step further. I think that Pokemon is a franchise large enough that it could be considered trouble if Pokemon Legends: Z-A does not come out on the Switch 2. Nintendo is going to want titles that can generate both hype and consumer interest, so a Pokemon game that stumbles and falls on its face upon launch will probably not be welcome. If Nintendo balks at this, I think it means Nintendo doesn't believe the quality is there to be a launch title.

Similarly, if TPCi decides to not release it as a launch title, I think it means they did not take full advantage of the opportunity afforded to them. Again, this is all speculation but this would have been a fantastic opportunity for Game Freak to work on developing using the new devkit and avoid the future issues with games down the line.

We will see in the coming month what happens as we find out more about the Switch 2 and Pokemon Legends Z-A. Both are expected to hit shelves in 2025.