The Pokémon Company has announced Pokémon Legends: Z-A for the Nintendo Switch, a sequel to the wildly popular Pokémon Legends Arceus released in 2022. The sequel was revealed during Tuesday's Pokémon Presents stream, which also featured a new Pokémon TCG game. It will release in 2025.
While not much was shown during the stream, we did catch a handful of details. Among other things, it will be set in Lumiose City, which fans will recognize from Pokémon X and Y's Kalos region. Released a little more than 10 years ago on the Nintendo 3DS, Pokémon X and Y were the first fully 3D mainline Pokemon games and have garnered a devoted fanbase in the years since.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will try and build on the successs of Pokémon: Legends Arceus, which introduced a proper open world to Pokémon along with new catch mechanics. We wrote at the time, "Pokémon Legends: Arceus is an ambitious revamp that successfully revolutionizes the defining Pokemon experiences of catching and battling, but is unfortunately set in a drab, empty, and at times tedious world."
Nevertheless, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was a big success, selling some 6.5 million copies in its first week of release. We called it one of the 10 best Pokemon games, observing that it puts more emphasis on collecting than battling.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A returns to Kalos
Aside from being set in the Kalos region and seemingly featuring the return of Mega Evolutions, not much is known about Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The trailer featured a handful of stylized schetches and wireframe videos as well as the familiar Mega Evolutions symbol from X and Y.
The official description reads, "Pokémon Legends: Z-A, an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, will launch on Nintendo Switch systems in 2025! A new adventure awaits within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is under way to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon."
An interesting clue may be in the stylization of the trailer. Where Pokémon Legends: Arceus captured the aesthetic of ancient Japan, Pokemon Legends: Z-A's trailer looks intentionally futuristic. Is Pokémon going full cyberpunk? We'll just have to see. Notably, Nintendo of America's tweet says that the new adventure is set entirely within Lumiose City, meaning that the wide open plains of Arceus will give way to a more urban environment this time around.
One way or another, it's shaping up to be a busy 2025 as Pokémon looks set to join a packed year featuring GTA VI and other heavy hitters. For more, check out everything announced at today's Pokémon Presents stream.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
