Just before the year started, the Pocket Tactics team sat down to develop our solutions Forecasts for 2024 for the world of mobile and portable games. These were different times – Zenless Zone Zero was still in beta, Pokémon was still releasing content for Scarlet and Violet, and we knew even less about the Nintendo Switch 2 than we do today.
So we used our incredible player intuition, combined with a lot of wishful thinking, to predict what 2024 might hold for us, and saved those predictions for this year. Now I’m here to see how right (or more precisely, how wrong, how wrong) our predictions were, so buckle up and get ready for a wild ride.
So it’s no surprise that almost every member of the Pocket Tactics team had something to say about the Nintendo Switch 2, and most of us were completely wrong. Pocket Tactics editor Ruby was incredibly confident that the Switch 2 would be revealed in the first half of 2024, but instead, as editor-in-chief Holly predicted, we’re no closer to knowing what Nintendo’s next home console will look like.
However, judging by Nintendo’s numerous tweets “Please don’t ask us about the Switch successor”, we don’t have to wait long for specific information. Interestingly, former writer James suggested that the Joy-Cons in the Nintendo Switch 2 would be the only major change to the console, and we’ve also seen rumors that the successor will switch to magnetic controllers rather than using the existing Joy-Con rail system. However, we hope that our existing drivers will still work – these things are costly!
At the end of 2023, if we weren’t speculating about Nintendo Switch 2, we were thinking about the release date of Zenless Zone Zero. With Ruby projecting an October release and James claiming Hoyoverse would delay ARPG, we were all pleasantly surprised by the July drop. If you’ve read our Zenless Zone Zero review, you’ll know that we love this urban adventure as much as Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact, and we’re glad it’s coming to our phones in 2024.
While we’ve seen the official trailer for Genshin Impact Switch, we’re not sure if it will ever happen, so instead Holly predicted that ZZZ will be the first Hoyo title to jump onto a Nintendo console. It hasn’t happened yet, but we’re pretty sure Zenless Zone Zero’s debut on Switch – aka Switch 2 – is predictable thanks to the VHS-themed scales Hoyoverse gave us and ZZZ producer Zhenyu Li’s announcement that the team wants the game “on all platforms.”
Finally, I made the bold claim that Netease’s Mugen project, now called Ananta, would outperform Zenless Zone Zero. Of course, that didn’t happen as Ananta is still nowhere to be seen, but we’re predicting a 2025 release date for Ananta and we’re curious to see which of these two urban exploration RPGs will come out on top.
I knew that suggesting a fifth-generation Pokémon remake was a long shot, but someone had to try and manifest it. Pokémon Black and White and its sequels are some of the most costly games on the DS, and I’ve never owned a copy of them, so I’m desperately looking for a fresh way to visit Unova. Unfortunately, this wasn’t on the agenda for 2024, but I’m still hoping for some news in the fresh year.
After all, Pokémon Go’s newest season, Dual Destiny, features plenty of Unovan Pokémon and uses black and white for its logo. One Pokémon Go event isn’t enough for it to happen, but thanks Pokébeach we already know that the Pokémon TCG will be getting two Unova-inspired expansions called Black Bold and White Flare in June, seemingly for no reason. Pokémon TCG sets usually follow video game release schedules, and sets like Astral Radiance and Lost Origin have overlapped with Legends: Arceus in the past, so I’m sure we’ll be back to Unova soon.
Gen 5 remake predictions weren’t our only Pokéfail of the year – Pocket Tactics hardware editor Connor also suggested the classic collection of Pokémon ports for Nintendo Switch Online and was very disappointed. If Game Freak released a bundle of older games on the Nintendo Switch, either as their own game or as NSO titles, they would practically print money. Legal access to these older titles is becoming increasingly complex, especially with the closure of the Wii U and 3DS virtual console markets, so we’d like to see the first few generations come to Switch for the sake of video game protection.
Our final Pokémon prediction was half-hearted. I predicted that in 2024 we would get Legends: Celebi, another historic Pokémon adventure set in Johto instead of Sinnoh. While we didn’t get the generation right, we’re getting a fresh spin-off game, and we can’t wait to learn more about Pokémon Legends: ZA’s 2025 release date.
One thing that’s clear from our many, many wrong predictions is that we’re desperate for fresh releases on Nintendo Switch. Given the end of the Switch’s life, it makes sense that Nintendo would focus on remasters and remakes rather than fresh titles, but we’re starving here! 2024 has left us without a Kingdom Hearts 4 release date, a Witchbrook release date, a fresh Spyro game, a fresh God of War game, or a fresh Digimon game, and honestly, we’re a little hurt. Hopefully, with Switch 2 on the horizon in 2025, we’ll get some electrifying fresh console releases to keep us going.
Of all our shots in the dim, we managed to hit a few targets. Our deputy editor Kayleigh predicted that Poppy Playtime would be released on Nintendo Switch in physical form, and MOB Entertainment is making it happen. Sure, the three-chapter pack won’t be released until April 2025, but we got the announcement this year, so we’re counting it as a win. Our other questionable success was Ruby’s prediction of a life simulation in the Hoyoverse, which seems likely thanks to some recent trademarking and social media activity. Regardless of how it ends, we can’t wait for Hoyoverse to officially introduce Petit Planet to the world.
So our 2024 predictions were far from right, but they give a great idea of what the Pocket Tactics team expects from mobile and Switch gaming. Now that we have a full team again, who knows what we’ll come up with for 2025? While you’re here, be sure to check out Holly’s call for more men in gacha games.
