This year marks Pokemon's 25th birthday. For a long while, fans have been anticipating the remake the 5th generation, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. And because of the silver anniversary, fans were hoping to hear news about it at the most recent Nintendo Direct, but Pokemon made no appearance at this Direct at all.
Pokemon fans are looking for answers about Nintendo's plan with Diamond and Pearl, especially following the slew of insider confirmation and rumors that have surfaced over the past several months. Though Nintendo has warned that 2021 might be on the lighter side due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 4th-generation Pokemon remakes are almost certainly on the way. Keep in mind, Nintendo didn't announce Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the franchise's 35th anniversary until September 2020.
Diamond and Pearl Rumors Continue to Thrive
It's nearly impossible to keep track of the number of rumors coming ahead of a full announcement for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Sometimes these rumors come from prominent leakers and insiders that zero in on either Nintendo or the Pokemon franchise, such as that time when an insider leaked an image of the legendary Dialga. However, no other context was given, so perhaps sometimes these rumors circulate purely to generate hype.
The most recent rumor that point in the direction of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes come from a Twitter account spotted just a few days ago. The Twitter handle for the private account is @pokemondp15th, a reference to 2021 being the 15th anniversary of the 4th generation games. The same was done to promote Super Mario's 35th anniversary, and it turned out to be officially run by Twitter. It's yet to be confirmed if this is the case with the Diamond and Pearl Twitter account, but some observant fans recently also spotted the diamongpearl.pokemon.com domain as well.
Again, these rumors may be just that: simply rumors and nothing else. However, this far down the line, it's likely that Nintendo would have stopped speculation of an upcoming game in its tracks before it got too out of hand. However, despite how long rumors of Diamond and Pearl remakes have been circulating, Nintendo has yet to deny anything. To do so now would be extremely late in the game and would result in major outcry from fans.
Diamond and Pearl Remakes Are All But Guaranteed
At this point, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes are inevitable. Fans have long prized the 4th generation, so it would be strange for Nintendo to cease the remakes with the Hoenn region without an announcement. The last Pokemon remakes were Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire nearly 7 years ago, and 5 years prior to that were the beloved HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes for the Game Boy Advance. While the Kanto generation of Pokemon was remade into Let's Go, Pikachu! And Eevee!, some might say the remakes are overdue, especially because it's been 15 years since their original release, a bigger gap than any remakes in the Pokemon franchise have seen so far.
Perhaps the wait bodes well for Diamond and Pearl remakes. While Nintendo didn't announce Super Mario 3D All-Stars until Q3 2020, this was partially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the same could be an impact for Pokemon.
On the other hand, some fans were disappointed with Sword and Shield, especially in regards to the graphics, so perhaps Nintendo's goal is to finalize and polish the remakes to the best versions they can be. Another theory as to why Diamond and Pearl remakes, or any other Pokemon games for that matter, didn't show at the most recent Direct could be because Nintendo has a bigger Pokemon-themed Direct planned for later on. After all, Nintendo rarely announces the dates of the Direct more than a couple of days ahead, and Pokemon's official birthday isn't until February 27th.
Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl remakes for the Switch are rumored to be in development.