Numerous hints seem to indicate The Pokémon Company is gearing up to remake Pokémon Black and White. Remakes are a proud tradition of the Pokémon franchise that dates back over 20 years to the release of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Because many older Pokémon games were released on consoles no longer in service, Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have periodically re-released older games with refreshed graphics and new features. These remakes not only keep the older games relevant but also provide The Pokémon Company with new content to sell while developing new generations of Pokémon games.

Originally released in 2010 in Japan (and 2011 in North America), Pokémon Black and Pokémon White introduced players to the Unova region, which is based on New York City and its surroundings. The two Pokémon games were the last 2D Pokémon games ever made and were also the last Pokémon games to have a direct sequel in the form of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. Over the past two years, The Pokémon Company has slowly teased a return to the Unova region, with the return of characters from that game and not-so-veiled references to the Unova region.

Unova References In Pokémon Legends: Arceus And Pokémon Scarlet And Violet

References To Pokémon Black And White Have Popped Up In Several Recent Pokémon Games

The 2022 game Pokémon Legends: Arceus was set in the Hisui region, which represented the Sinnoh region in the ancient past. However, the game featured a surprise with the addition of Ingo, a minor character from Pokémon Black and White. For reasons unknown, Ingo had traveled back in time with no memory of his origins. Ingo's story wasn't resolved in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, providing a potential plot point for a future Pokémon game.

More Unova teases came with the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. While those games were also set in a brand-new region, the second DLC The Indigo Disk was actually set in the Unova region. The Blueberry Academy biomes are technically located within the Unova region, with several areas modeled after iconic locations from Pokémon Black and White. Additionally, several characters (like Drayton and Lacey) have connections to Gym Leaders in the Unova region. These connections were subtle but served as a soft reintroduction to the Unova region along with being clever Easter eggs for more observant Pokémon fans.

More Rumors About Future Pokémon Plans And Unova Remakes

Several Rumors Are Teasing The Return Of Unova In A Future Pokémon Game

Rumors and leaks about the Pokémon franchise are always swirling, but several have recently involved the Unova. For instance, trademark filings for Pokémon TCG sets seem to suggest a tie to the Unova region of some kind. The "Black Bolt" and "White Flare" sets will be released in June and could either be a reference to Trainer's Pokémon cards (an TCG mechanic) or a tease about Pokémon games. Notably, no Pokémon TCG set leaked for 2025 has referenced Pokémon Legends Z-A, which seems to further hint that these sets could be a tie-in to Unova remakes.

Pokémon GO has also announced plans to launch a Pokémon GO Unova Tour in early 2025, with its newest Dual Destinies ing the event. Obviously, the Pokémon GO Unova Tour will heavily feature Pokémon from Pokémon Black and White, although this is probably just a coincidence. After all, Pokémon GO has focused on a different pair of Pokémon games every year for its Pokémon GO Tour event, with 2025 just happening to be the year slated for Pokémon Black and White.

Another recent rumor suggests that another Pokémon Black and White character could soon be getting a prominent spot in another Pokemon-related app. According to the rumor, Bianca from the Pokémon Black and White games will replace Grand Oak in Pokémon HOME when that app is updated for the Nintendo Switch 2 next year. Bianca was a rival character in the Unova games but hasn't made any real appearances since. There's no reason to use Bianca in Pokémon HOME besides to remind players that she's still around and to keep Unova fresh in players' minds.

What A Pokémon Black And Pokémon White Remake Could Look Like

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl And Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Both Provide Possible Templates

If Pokémon Black and Pokémon White remakes are in the works, there are two distinct directions that the project could take. The first would be games similar to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. These games were faithful remakes developed by ILCA instead of Game Freak, with few new features or deviations from the original games. ILCA and The Pokémon Company have recently opened a t studio called Pokémon Works with the express purpose of working on prospective games, so it's certainly possible that ILCA could get tapped for another round of remakes.

The other possibility is that Game Freak could be internally developing a remake of some kind. Game Freak previously developed Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby as remakes, which also included new Mega Evolutions and a brand new post-game chapter focused on Deoxys and Rayquaza. Considering that Mega Evolution is set to return in Pokémon Legends Z-A, it may make more sense for Game Freak to beef up any Unova remakes. Only one Gen 5 Pokémon has a Mega Evolution, so it would make sense for a new Gen 5 remake to include more Mega Evolutions.

Why Now Is The Right Time For Unova Remakes

The Unova Region Deserves A Modern Spotlight

It's been fifteen years since the original Pokémon Black and White games were released, and these classic games are getting harder and harder to find. Since Nintendo seems hesitant to release Pokémon games on the Nintendo Virtual Console, it may become necessary for The Pokémon Company to release new versions of the game before they're missed out by a generation of Pokémon fans.

Additionally, Unova remakes would provide Game Freak with a chance to silence a frequent criticism of recent Pokémon games. Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 were the only Pokémon games to feature different difficulty levels. If Unova remakes reimplemented this feature, it would finally give a challenge to players who feel that the more modern games are too easy.

As the Pokémon franchise continues to grow with new regions and new Pokémon, remakes will become more and more important. These remakes showcase older characters and regions for new generations of players while also keeping the games accessible as older consoles become harder to find. Remakes also take some of the pressure off of Game Freak and The Pokémon Company's expectation to produce new games on a yearly basis. While the games still need to be programmed and updated, much of the game design work is already complete.

Of course, the key to remakes is that they should be full games and not just facsimiles. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were largely seen as duds, even if they sold well, largely because they lacked any meaningful new content outside of a few ancillary features. If The Pokémon Company pursues Unova remakes, it should look to the Pokémon Let's Go line or Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby as examples of how to make these games feel fresh. Pokémon Black and White deserve a worthy spotlight, so here's hoping that Game Freak and The Pokémon Company deliver.