The Pokémon Company has confirmed that its eagerly anticipated titles, Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, originally set for release in November 2026, have been postponed to November 2027. The delay was announced only weeks before the games were scheduled to launch, highlighting that they were not yet ready for public release.

Impact on Pokémon Franchise

This last-minute shift has resulted in significant scheduling conflicts for the entire Pokémon franchise, particularly affecting various multimedia projects. The most notable impact is on the ongoing Pokémon anime series.

Changes to the Anime Series

The Pokémon anime was originally planned to conclude its current arc, Pokémon Horizons, with episode 136. However, due to the delay of the game releases, The Pokémon Company urged the anime creators to extend the series with an additional story arc meant to preview the next generation (Gen 10) featuring the character Navi alongside Konetsu.

Unfortunately, the last-minute decision forced a rework of the planned storyline. In a surprising turn, Konetsu has been replaced with the character Ditto in this new arc.

Upcoming Schedule and Expectations

Following these delays, the Pokémon anime will enter a hiatus period, starting in March 2027, and is expected to resume around September or October of the same year. The revised Gen 10 arc is now slated to debut in late 2027, comprising approximately 25 episodes.

In addition to the adjustments in the anime series, pre-production on the subsequent Pokémon anime is currently underway. However, with the numerous delays, this new series is not anticipated to premiere before 2029.

It is important to note that Ash, the iconic character of the franchise, is not expected to return. The new series will take a fresh approach by exploring all Pokémon regions anew.