A new report alleges that remakes of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, originally released for the Nintendo DS, will be revealed in less than a month's time.
This comes from Centro Pokémon, a fan site that states its sources are close to the rumoured project and that The Pokémon Company wants the announcement to coincide with the 25th anniversary celebrations that will go on throughout 2021. Of course, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl sold extremely well thirteen years ago, and even outsold their successors Pokémon Black & White by quite a margin.
At the time of writing, Diamond & Pearl have sold almost 18 million copies over the course of its lifetime, and to compare, Sword & Shield has sold 18.22 million copies since 2019. Not only are there the numbers to prove there's a case to remake the games, they're also adored by Pokémon players, and boast some absolute bangers in their soundtracks.
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Moving on, Centro Pokémon claims that the games will arrive on the Switch some time in 2021, and will use the capture mechanics of the classic games, rather than the revamped ones present in the Pokémon Let's Go! entries. Now, reminding ourselves that Red & Blue, Gold & Silver, and Sapphire & Ruby have all also been treated to a remake, Diamond & Pearl would be the next one. And, rumours of a possible remake have swirled for some time, asserting that they'll be titled Max Diamond and Max Pearl, and may even feature Dynamaxing from Sword & Shield.
That could be a divisive move, but if we think back to the original Diamond & Pearl which includes support for Wi-Fi connection so that players could chat, trade, and battle online. It would check out that this feature would be updated and upgraded for a remake, and would let Sword & Shield players play alongside Max Diamond and Max Pearl.
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Speculating is all very well and good, but Centro Pokémon might have stumbled upon some evidence that supports their report. The diamondpearl.pokemon.com domain has been enabled, but if you try to visit it, the site tells you that "access to the requested resource is forbidden." Could this be The Pokémon Company warding off prying eyes until the announcement is ready to go live?
It's tough to tell right now, but while we wait for an official acknowledgement, there's lots to look forward to in Pokémon's 25th anniversary celebrations. The series will team up with the "biggest names in music," with the first of their collaborators being Katy Perry.
Featured Image Credit: The Pokemon Company