Based on historic trends, remakes of Nintendo DS classics Pokémon Diamond & Pearl are all-but guaranteed. The Pokémon Company released FireRed & LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance back in 2004 as remakes of the original games. Five years after that, Gold & Silver were reborn as HeartGold and SoulSilver on DS. Another five years after that, Ruby & Sapphire became Omega Ruby & Alhpa Sapphire on the 3DS.
It's been six years since Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, and there's still no sign of any official news regarding Diamond & Pearl remakes for Nintendo Switch. 2018 saw the original Game Boy games remade for the second time in the form of Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee, but the fans are craving a return to the Sinnoh region.
The good news is that there have been whispers of Diamond & Pearl remakes over the last couple of years, implying that something is on the way. Most recently, it's been reported that Game Freak is currently working on the much-requested titles while finishing up the Crown Tundra expansion for Pokémon Sword & Shield.
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According to an unverified leak from YouTuber RuffledRowlit (via Dexerto), information passed on by an alleged coder at Game Freak reveals that the new games are coming in November 2021, and will be called Max Diamond and Max Pearl. Not only this, but they'll be bringing over the Dynamax mechanic from Sword & Shield.
Given the completely unverified nature of this source, I'd take it with a Dynamax-sized pinch of salt for now. The only reason we're touching this is because it's not the first time we've heard rumblings of Diamond & Pearl remakes - and bringing over the Dynamax mechanic makes a ton of sense.
Late last year Pokémon superfan Paul Ryan, who runs the online merchandise database Pokéshopper, claimed that the next games after the upcoming Sword & Shield will indeed be Nintendo Switch remakes of the gen four titles. In a video posted by Ryan at the time, he explained that a lot of the upcoming Pokémon merch would be re-releases of gen four merch. He reasoned this was indicative of Diamond & Pearl remakes potentially making an appearance in some form by the end of 2020.
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It's worth pointing out that we're very near the end of 2020 (thank god) and have yet to see anything concrete in regards to Diamond & Pearl remakes. There's a chance COVID-19 could have disrupted whatever plans Game Freak and The Pokémon Company had, of course. For now, we'll just have to wait - and hope.
Featured Image Credit: NintendoTopics: Switch, Pokemon, Game Freak, Nintendo