Pokémon Legends: ZA was first revealed in early 2024 with a mysterious trailer. Since then, updates on the game have been rare, leading to a lot of wild speculation and questions that need to be answered. We know it will be the next main game from Nintendo and Game Freak. We also know it will somehow tie in with Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Over and beyond ZA is a real mystery.
With that in mind, let’s explore everything we know about the game so far.
Pokémon Legends: ZA – Release date and platforms
As confirmed during Pokemon Presents, Pokemon Legends ZA is currently planning to launch in 2025Given the one-year lead time to the announcement, we can assume this will be early 2025, but Nintendo hasn’t quite confirmed that yet.
Perhaps more importantly, the company will announce its next console by March 2025, and new games will likely launch at the same time. ZA is likely a launch game for Nintendo Switch 2, as the trailer revealed that it will be released “simultaneously” in 2025.
This wording is usually used to denote launches on multiple consoles (otherwise Nintendo would have left it at “worldwide releases”), so we can assume ZA will appear on the next Nintendo console And the Nintendo Switch. This has not been confirmed by Nintendo either, but it can be assumed.
Pokémon Legends: ZA – History and X and Y Connections
The Pokémon Legends: ZA Trailer has confirmed that this game is set in Lumiose City, which first appeared in Pokémon X And Pokémon Y for Nintendo 3DS. Lumiose is one of the largest cities in the Kalos region and acts as the heart of this place.
According to the official description of the game, Lumiose will be the only location in ZATherefore, we can assume that since its appearance in X and Y: “A new adventure awaits you in Illumina City, where a city redevelopment plan is currently underway to transform the city into a place that belongs to both humans and Pokémon.”
Read: The Pokemon Center has landed in Australia and New Zealand
“Urban development” seems to be the main theme of this upcoming adventure, with Lumiose City in the midst of a major expansion, as hinted at by the “blueprint” style trailer, which depicts Lumiose as a neon city in transition.
Aside from these hints, Nintendo and Game Freak have yet to fully flesh out the plot and story of the upcoming game – although we can make further assumptions, players will learn more about Pokemon and explore Lumiose City thoroughly.
will Pokémon Legends: ZA Link with Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Pokémon Legends: ZA And Pokémon Legends: Arceus have no clear connection yet, apart from the shared use of a subtitle. Although there has been speculation that Arceus indicated ZA These theories are based on clues hidden in clothing and are quite wild and unfounded.
So far, Nintendo and Game Freak have neither drawn a parallel between these games nor explained what their joint “legend” subtitle actually means. While we could certainly see them connecting in the future, as the vision for ZA becomes clearer, at the moment they actually seem to be separate games.
Arceus is a game about Pokemon researchers who explore a distant past (although the protagonist of the game comes from the future and in ZA). ZA, Players explore a future where Pokémon and humans are more connected.
Should ZA take some of Arceuswe hope that there will be some interaction between the exploration and Pokémon catching mechanics in these adventures. Pokémon Legends: Arceus led a brilliant Pokémon Go –style catching mechanics that let you throw Poké Balls directly at wandering creatures, and it worked brilliantly to streamline the action. Likewise, the game’s fully explorable open world was a real delight and provided a radiant sense of freedom.
For now, we have to wait until we see the gameplay of Pokémon Legends: ZA to know whether it is the greatest successes of the Arceus.
Why is Pokémon Legends: ZA so called?
The title of Pokémon Legends: ZA is currently very mysterious – but there are clues to its origins hidden in the official logo design. Looking at the “ZA”, it seems pretty clear that the logo is inspired by the color palette and pattern of Zygarde, the legendary Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon that first appeared in Pokémon X and Y. The scales, colors, and leaf details fit together perfectly, and it makes sense that this is the case.
The previous Pokémon Legends The title was named after Arceus, another legendary Pokémon, so we can assume the subtitle refers to legendary Pokémon. If the “Z” in the title also stands for Zygarde, we could assume the “A” stands for Arceus, drawing a parallel between the two games and possibly relating them to each other.
It’s also possible that ZA is simply a placeholder name that could be replaced once Nintendo and Game Freak are ready to show more. Should the game stick to the current naming conventions, it’s possible that this game could be named Zygarde in the future – but this is of course pure speculation.
Pokémon Legends: ZA – All confirmed Pokémon so far
So far, it has been confirmed that a number of Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: ZAincluding many who are already in Pokémon X And Pokémon Y. As shown in early trailers, the following Pokémon will appear:
Pikachu, Pyroar, Floette, Litleo, Klefki, Furfrou, Flabébé, Fletchling, Dragonair, Gyarados, Emolga, Arbok, Absol, Hippopotas, Skrelp, Magikarp, Staryu, Hawlucha, Sylveon, Pinsir, Heracross, Talonflame, Onix, Bellsprout, Aegislash, Sandile, Krookodile, Pangoro, and Ariados. In addition, you can expect each of these Pokémon to have their evolutions in the game, so add Eevee and its other Eeveelutions, Dragonite, Pancham, etc. to the list.
Mega Evolutions will return in Pokémon Legends: ZA
As a nice surprise ZA The trailer also revealed the return of Pokemon Mega Evolutions. Although we haven’t seen any Mega Evolutions yet, the rainbow logo for the power-up appeared briefly as a teaser.
Currently, we don’t know what role Mega Evolutions will play in the story, but since they’ve already been hinted at (before any major characters or story were revealed), we can assume they’ll be relevant to the plot.
When will we learn more about Pokémon Legends: ZA?
At this time, Nintendo has no plans for a new Pokemon Gifts or Nintendo Direct, so there may be a long wait to learn more about Pokémon Legends: ZA. That is, the last Pokemon “Presents” already took place in February 2024, so there is a possibility that a new presentation will take place soon.
It seems less likely that we’ll get a new Nintendo Direct in the coming months, as they’re quite rare and the last one was in June, but Nintendo has become very good at surprising fans – so it’s still possible.
Also worth mentioning is Nintendo plans to unveil its Nintendo Switch successor console by March 2025, so we could see more ZA Revelations related to these launch plans.
Stay tuned GamesHub for the latest news and updates for Pokémon Legends: ZA.
