The announcement of Pokémon Legends ZA, set in Illumis, sparked hilarious reactions from fans who assumed a game set in Johto or Unova would be next in line.
It’s safe to say that no one expected Pokémon Legends ZA.
The announcement of an Arceus Legends-style game set in Illumis took fans by surprise, sparking mostly positive reactions from those excited about the return of Mega Evolution and hoping to finally solve some of the mysteries of Kalos.
However, alongside the excitement, there are plenty of reactions from fans who had assumed a game set in Johto or Unova would be next – and some of them are particularly hilarious.
Pokémon fans amused after Kalos announcement amid Johto and Unova speculation
Given the historical pattern of mainline Pokémon game releases, most fans assumed that the next region to receive a remake or reimagining would be Unova. Some even took the setting of the Indigo Disc – a school of Unova – as confirmation that we would soon return to the region introduced in Black and White.
Others speculated that the next game would instead be set in the Johto region, since that setting hasn’t been explored since 2009’s HeartGold and SoulSilver.
However, fans in these regions will have to wait, as ZA Legends returns to Kalos instead. As one Twitter user put it, “Game Freak walking into an auditorium full of people arguing over whether the next game would be in Johto or Unova, muttering ‘Kalos’ into the microphone, and walking out,”referring to the brief revelation that threw a bucket of cold water on months of speculation.
This disconnect between what players expected and what The Pokémon Company actually announced led to some great responses.
Johto fans: “IT’S OUR TURN!”Unova fans: “NO IT’S OUR TURN!!!”Kalos fans: pic.twitter.com/qQqjNo33sO
— Juice 🧃 (@JuiceProphet) February 27, 2024
GAME FREAK right now: pic.twitter.com/uJ3exYMKuG
— REVERSAL (@REVERSALx7) February 27, 2024
Others relied on French inspirations from Kalos.
Pokémon Presents in a Nutshell: pic.twitter.com/KjBhY4fMhN
— DaydreamerDan 🔜 PAX EAST (@Daydreamerdan_) February 27, 2024
Everyone: Pokemon is going reveal either a Johto or Unova game.TPCi: #PokemonDay #PokemonPresents #PokemonLegendsZA pic.twitter.com/AeQGFNrhrI
— Eliteking (@Eliteking717) February 27, 2024
Regardless of the jokes, most fans seem genuinely excited about ZA Legends. The Kalos region is known for leaving a lot of unanswered questions that players of the time were waiting for “Pokémon Z” to resolve.
Beyond that, this expectation-defying announcement is seen as a positive sign that Pokémon Legends ZA is being developed based on exciting ideas from developers rather than a desire to meet specific fan expectations..
“Pokémon recognized the potential behind combining the Kalos region with the Legends series and they are very smart about it,” one Twitter user said.
While those hoping for new Johto and Unova games may be disappointed, there’s a good chance we’ll see them in the future – hopefully in a form that excites fans just as much.
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