Pokémon Winds & Waves has a lot riding on it. Every new Generation of Pokémon has the chance to bring in new lifelong fans, and things have been going very well in recent Generations. Right now, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet and Pokémon Sword/Shield are in the top five for Pokémon series sales overall,an impressive feat.
Nintendo and Game Freak are looking to keep that streak hot with Winds & Waves when it arrives exclusively on Switch 2 in 2027, and with a new development in play, they easily could. Thanks to a new mega leak on X, we now know that Pokémon Winds & Waves could be the most ambitious entry yet. If this leak plays out, it could have huge implications for the series as a whole.
According to the latest bit of information from Pokémon leaker kurwashibamaste (and vetted by several other outfits like Centro Leaks), Pokémon Winds & Waves could get a whopping 300 new Pokémon.
To be clear, that’s 300 alleged new characters, not necessarily forms of existing Pokémon. It would be a massive move that would trickle down into a ton of different iterations of the series, including the trading card game.
For reference, here are the stats on how each Pokémon Generation has played out:
Generation | New Pokémon |
1 (Kanto) | 151 |
2 (Johto) | 100 |
3 (Hoenn) | 135 |
4 (Sinnoh) | 107 |
5 (Unova) | 156 |
6 (Kalos) | 72 |
7 (Alola) | 88 |
8 (Galar) | 96 |
9 (Padea) | 120 |
As you can see, even a number approaching 200 would be unprecedented, much less 300. Generation 5 had the largest number of new characters in the series’ history, and the record was bound to be broken at some point. Also, just because the game allegedly has “300 new Pokémon” doesn’t mean the Pokédex size will be unmanageable.
Much to the chagrin of long-time players, it’s possible that Game Freak could shrink the National ‘Dex even more to make room for all these newcomers. Plus, there’s always a chance that these “300” will be split over multiple DLC drops.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been a fan of Pokémon since the original entries, and would welcome a ton of new characters into the mix. Although it was polarizing at the time, the injection of new ‘Mons into Generation 5 helped keep things fresh, and the Unova region was the perfect time to do it.
If you’re looking forward to Pokémon Winds & Waves, the good news is that there’s a lot more to learn about the pair of Gen 10 titles over the next year. Nintendo and Game Freak are mum on which quarter the game will even come out in, so expect lots of news leading up to that eventual launch.
- Released
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2027
- Developer(s)
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Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
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The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
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Single-player
