Is Pokemon Let’s Go Johto coming in 2020?

We’re approaching the time of year where rumors of the next Pokemon game begin to circulate. Could that next game be Pokemon Let’s Go 2 – or Let’s Go Johto?

The HD remake of Pokemon Yellow, Let’s Go Pikachu! and Eevee! was well received by the Pokemon community, suggesting a second version is an inevitability. Could it come as soon as 2020, though?

There were initial concerns a remake of Pokemon’s first region wouldn’t prove a commercial success. After all the Kanto region has been playable in several games throughout the years.

However, the game sold very well, selling a reported 11.28 million units. This makes Pokemon Let’s Go the fifth best selling Nintendo Switch game and in doing so perhaps confirming a sequel.

Room for another Johto game?

Some fans are resistant to the idea of remakes of previous games but history suggests that the majority want them, and Johto has proven to be a fan-favorite region, too.

• Read More: Clues suggest Pokemon Sword and Shield was originally for Nintendo 3DS

The previous games based on the second region, Pokemon Gold & Silver and Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver, are two of the highest-rated Pokemon games to date. With all of this going for it, it certainly suggests there is room for a second Pokemon Let’s Go game.

Masuda’s takes on a possible Let’s Go sequel

Back in October 2018, Junichi Masuda, executive director at Game Freak, was interviewed about the original Pokemon LGPE games and revealed some interesting insight into the prospect of another one.

He was asked if he had one eye on another Let’s Go style game in Johto, to which his response was interesting, especially considering what we know now. “So, you know, maybe – if everyone enjoys playing these games,” Masuda responded.

Now we do know that the games were a success, proven by the aforementioned sales figures.

Did an easter egg confirm the game?

For the 2019 Pokemon game, Sword and Shield, an announcement came on Pokemon Day on February 27 and it could well be the same this year. Sword and Shield was kept a complete secret, other than one or two leaks which weren’t taken seriously, and we’re sure the 2020 game announcement is being guarded just as well. In short, there aren’t any prominent rumors or leaks suggesting Let’s Go Johto is next in line.

• Read More: Is this the real reason for Pokemon Sword and Shield’s ‘Dexit’?

However, there was an easter egg within Pokemon Let’s Go that alluded to a second game. Those who have played the classic Pokemon games will be familiar with the psychic gym leader, Sabrina.

In Let’s Go you can challenge gym leaders more than once, and in Sabrina’s case her message once you defeat her changes the second time around. “I won’t encounter another Trainer like you for around another three years,” the Saffron City gym leader says.

Could that be the confirmation we need? It’s an interesting easter egg for two reasons with the first being it’s very well hidden, meaning not many will come across the message let alone take in its meaning. Secondly, she says around three years which suggests, at the time of being made, that the release for a sequel was undecided. Perhaps it could be this year or even 2021 or 2022.

If you believe this was anything more than a tease, then yes, Let’s Go Johto may already be in development. The downside is though, for those that want it sooner than later, it’s more likely to be in 2021 than this year.

Does that mean a Gen 4 remake (Pokemon Diamond & Pearl) could come first? Only time will tell.