Pokemon Winds And Waves: pokemon winds and waves announced as Pokémon’s 10th-generation pair
The Pokémon Company used a special Pokémon Presents livestream tied to its 30th birthday celebrations to unveil pokemon winds and waves, giving players a first look at a new region, new creatures and how the next mainline entries will play. The pair are billed as the official 10th-generation mainline Pokémon games and will arrive exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027.
Livestream reveal, 30th birthday and the lineage from Red and Green
After months of anticipation following the release of Pokémon Legends Z-A, the company lifted the lid on the next mainline games as part of its 30th birthday celebrations and presented the first look at the land and new creatures. The announcement came during a special Pokémon Presents livestream, and the pair are being framed as the official 10th generation since everything kicked off 30 years ago in Japan with the release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green.
New island region built around a massive sea and an emphasis on exploration
The two titles are set in a brand new region composed of multiple island landmasses in a massive sea, and that oceanic geography seems set to be a large element of exploration this time. Winds and Waves will introduce a new generation of Pokémon while also including plenty of returning favorites from prior games.
Starter choices: Browt, Pombon and Gecqua
Players will be able to pick from three starter Pokémon: Browt, described as a grass-type grumpy bird; Pombon, a fire-type Pomeranian; and Gecqua, a water-type lizard noted for eyes almost the size of its head and what the reveal called a "killer lash game. " These three will stand in for the traditional starter trifecta that guides early play.
Tropical Pikachu variants and differing trainer outfits
The games will also introduce two special Pikachu that appear to play a significant role in the narrative: a male Pikachu wearing sunglasses with a floral shirt and sunhat, and a female Pikachu wearing a cap and dress. It is currently unknown if both Pikachus will appear in both games or if they will be one of the traditional variant-exclusives that typically accompany paired Pokémon titles. Similarly, the starting outfits for male and female player trainers will differ depending on which game you play.
Pokemon Winds And Waves exclusivity, release window and hardware questions
Unlike last year’s Legends Z-A, Winds and Waves will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 rather than being available on both Nintendo’s current console and its predecessor. Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027. Given the age-old debate about Pokémon games' graphical performance, observers noted it will be interesting to see what Game Freak does without the limitations of having to cater to older hardware this time around.
Auction items, retro hardware and other promotional notes
Supplementary material tied to the reveal and related coverage included a series of promotional recommendations and extras. Readers were invited to check out upcoming releases across franchises such as Marvel, Star Wars and Star Trek, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and information about the future of Doctor Who. There were calls to subscribe and interact with the publisher’s community and customised Newsletters.
Promotional blurbs also included consumer-oriented notes: "Even when your power goes down, your Wi-Fi won't, " and announcements that games, anime merch and cards are up for sale in a celebration auction of the Pokémon franchise. A retro hardware feature highlighted Nintendo's $100 Virtual Boy for those who enjoy digging through gaming history, and coverage listed a slew of new early childhood toys from Nintendo plus an app that harkens back to the N64. Readers were warned they might pay a hefty chunk of change for Stern Pinball's version of the classic Game Boy game, and one notice linked a RAM shortage to bad news for next-gen consoles like the PS6.
Separately, an "Error 418 - I am a teapot" message in related technical or playful content read: "Short and stout, this is my handle, this is my spout. "
