Despite being the most successful entertainment property in history, the Pokemon series has surprisingly not received its own official LEGO set yet, but that's about to change soon. Last month, The LEGO Group announced that it was teaming up with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company to release new LEGO products based off the iconic franchise, starting in 2026. This partnership, The LEGO Group said, is going to last for several years. However, aside from a LEGO Pikachu model that was hinted at in the trailer for the Pokemon collaboration, it's not exactly clear what its scope will entail.
Now that the Pokemon series is finally getting its own line of LEGO merchandise, maybe The LEGO Group will decide to work with The Pokemon Company and Nintendo to make a LEGO Pokemon video game someday. Not every pop-culture franchise that receives its own LEGO set gets turned into a video game, of course (Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft come to mind), but this at least makes the idea a lot more plausible. If these companies do actually team up to make a LEGO Pokemon game, though, they should take a bit of inspiration from the popular fan-made mod, Cobblemon.
Official LEGO Pokemon Sets Are Finally Happening
After years of waiting, LEGO sets inspired by popular Pokemon characters are incoming, with many fans overjoyed by the news.
A LEGO Pokemon Game Could Take Some Pages Out of Cobblemon's Playbook
Cobblemon is a Pokemon-Themed Minecraft Mod that Adds Tons of New Features
To the average gamer, Cobblemon is probably not a name that they'll be familiar with. However, those who have been active in the Minecraft modding community over the past couple of years have probably heard of it at least a few times. Cobblemon is, in essence, an open-source Minecraft mod that adds blocky, cute-looking Pokemon to Mojang's open-world sandbox game. It is, in some ways, an indirect successor to the now-defunct Pixelmon mod, which was taken down by The Pokemon Company back in 2017. Even though Cobblemon has only been around for a few years and is still in active development, it is already chock-full of content.
Cobblemon includes over 700 different Pokemon, all of which can be captured. Just like in the mainline Pokemon games, players can send their Pokemon into battles against other Pokemon, including those owned by other gamers. Cobblemon's combat system uses the Pokemon Showdown! Engine in order to remain as faithful as possible to the official Pokemon titles. It even incorporates some Legends: Arceus-style gameplay mechanics, like move relearning and optional Pokemon evolution. As if that wasn't impressive enough already, Cobblemon also introduces some new structures to the world of Minecraft, which often contain gilded chests stuffed with valuable loot.
Cobblemon is a Great Template for a LEGO Pokemon-Style Game
Cobblemon may not be an officially licensed Pokemon product, but it's pretty much the closest thing out there to a video game adaptation of LEGO Pokemon. The mod has a LEGO-like aesthetic, since it was designed for Minecraft, and it also features most of the capturing and battling systems from the mainline Pokemon titles. Plus, like LEGO, Cobblemon encourages players to use their creativity, as it gives them the option to add and create their own custom Pokemon designs using data packs. The vanilla version of Minecraft is already somewhat similar to LEGO, but with the Cobblemon mod installed, it basically becomes the perfect template for a LEGO Pokemon-style game.
Nintendo Doesn't Normally Develop LEGO Titles, But Hopefully a LEGO Pokemon Game Will Be Made Someday
Sadly, there is one major roadblock that could potentially stop a LEGO Pokemon video game from being released: Nintendo. As it has shown over the last few decades, Nintendo isn't that interested in developing video games that use other companies' properties. This is probably why some other Nintendo franchises, such as Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing, have not been adapted into LEGO video games yet, even though they have received LEGO sets. Considering how popular the two brands are, however, a LEGO Pokemon game would almost certainly sell like hot cakes, so hopefully Nintendo and The LEGO Group can get in contact with each other and make it a reality.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 48%
- Released
- November 18, 2022
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
WHERE TO PLAY
The school that you’ve enrolled in as you play Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet hosts a special independent study project. The theme of this assignment is "A Treasure Hunt." Explore the world and seek out your very own treasure!
Three stories will be woven into your adventure while traversing the sprawling Paldea region. Along Victory Road, you will go to Gyms in different locations in order to to achieve Champion Rank. On the Path of Legends, you can join Arven in search of rare ingredients. And in ★ Starfall Street ★, you’ll challenge Team Star, a group of delinquents causing trouble for the school.
These stories are set in an open world, so where you go is all up to you. A world teeming with Pokémon and people to meet is waiting for you—traverse the Paldea region wherever you heart desires.
- Genre(s)
- RPG
