New Pokemon trademarks hint at potential HeartGold & SoulSilver Switch games
Game Freak / The Pokemon Company[jwplayer 7olbmgu2]According to a source, The Pokemon Company has recently applied new trademarks for HeartGold & SoulSilver. The filings have sparked speculation that the beloved Gen II remakes could be coming to the Nintendo Switch in the future.
The Pokemon franchise is gearing up for its 25th anniversary in 2021. With the release of the eighth generation title Sword & Shield in 2019, fans have desperately been waiting for when the series would get another remake of a classic title.
Recent trademark applications have kicked off speculation that the Nintendo Switch could get a port of HeartGold & SoulSilver, or a Let’s Go game. This follows Game Freak filing a trademark for Gen II legendary Entei days earlier on September 17.
Could Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver come to Switch?
In 2009, Nintendo re-released the Gen II RPG’s in the form of HeartGold and SoulSilver. The reimaginings included new graphics, features, and had players returning to the beloved Johto region.
On September 22, popular Pokemon source ‘abcboy’ – who works for Bulbapedia – discovered that Game Freak had applied for trademarks for HeartGold and SoulSilver in the US on September 7. “Nintendo has applied for trademarks for “POKÉMON HEARTGOLD” (T2020-110933) and “POKÉMON SOULSILVER” (T2020-110934), filed on September 7,” they tweeted.
The move follows their recent filings for the game’s Legendary ‘mon Entei. The uncovered information further fueled speculation that perhaps the second generation remakes could be released as a port or a new Let’s Go game on the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo has applied for trademarks for "POKÉMON HEARTGOLD" (T2020-110933) and "POKÉMON SOULSILVER" (T2020-110934), filed on September 7 pic.twitter.com/5Oz5VWe34E
— abcboy (@abcboy101) September 22, 2020
Of course, trademarks are often renewed, and it’s not that uncommon for a company to file applications on behalf of their properties. However, given the timing, it’s led some to wonder if it could be hinting at an upcoming release.
Interestingly, on September 7, Nintendo leak account ‘nintendalerts’ teased an upcoming release that some fans would find underwhelming. “And to think people complain about [Mario] remasters, when they see the Pokemon thing that’s coming they’re going to complain [even more],” the tweet read, as translated by ‘CentroLeaks’. Could this be referring to a HeartGold and SoulSilver game on Switch?
NEW POKÉMON GAME RUMOR
This comes from @Nintendalerts which has a very good track record at leaking Nintendo information:
"And to think that people complain about the [Mario] remasters, when they see the Pokémon thing that's coming, they're going to complain [even more]." https://t.co/Nq3izt8KlX
— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) September 8, 2020
While a HeartGold and SoulSilver port on Switch would certainly be welcomed by many, it would most likely be seen as a letdown for some players if Game Freak released a 2010 title instead of a full blown remake like Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby.
It goes without saying, but take all of this was a major grain of salt. Trademark applications are hardly proof of an upcoming release. A Nintendo Switch port or Let’s Go game is pure speculation at this point.
Regardless, the community is no doubt restless as players have been anticipating a remake for years. Only time will tell what tricks Game Freak have up their sleeves to celebrate the franchise’s upcoming anniversary.