With 2026, the 30th anniversary is over Pokémon All eyes are on Game Freak and The Pokemon Company to see what's in store for the future of the series. Rumors and leaks about Pokémon Gen 10 suggests that fans will see this new generation of games in the coming year, but that might just be the tip of the iceberg. As fans begin to look toward that future, WWE professional wrestler and online influencer Logan Paul recently shared his idea for a new Pokémon games that bridge the old with the new in a pitch that would actually be a perfect way for the series to progress while still appealing to longtime fans.
Pokémon remakes are nothing new, and the series has released updated and remixed versions of previous generations, starting with the Gen 1 remakes Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen in Gen 3. Since then, Gens 2, 3 and 4 have been remade, although the latest remakes, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearlwas met with mixed opinions due to a combination of gameplay and visual style changes. If Game Freak were to take a step back and reevaluate the remake formula going forward, it might want to consider some of the aspects that Logan Paul included in his latest pitch.
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Logan Paul's idea for a new Pokemon game is actually kind of genius
In a recent viral X post, Paul described his ideal Pokémon the game as a remake of Pokémon Gen 1 and 2 which are updated with more streamlined features while retaining the classic feel of the originals. Paul notes that he replays these old Game Boy Pokémon games every few years, as he doesn't have much contact with newer animals outside of Annihilape and Baxcalibur. He goes on to say that he thinks other older fans feel the same way, and there's an untapped market for a remake of the first generations rolled into a single game with updated features, a Pokedex filled with the best of the best, and a retro art style.
The HD-2D Art Style is perfect for a Pokemon Gen 1 remake
The rise of the HD-2D art style makes it seem like the perfect direction for the older genre makers that Paul describes. Pioneering games that Octopath Traveler and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remakethis art style has become a popular way to achieve a retro feel while still making the game look impressive by modern standards. These images are achieved by using 2D pixel sprites in a 3D environment with dramatic lighting to give the impression of a higher graphical fidelity.
A Pokémon games using the HD-2D art style is not a revolutionary concept, and many fans have suggested a similar remake art style in the past. Another X user even commented on Paul's post with a mock-up image showing what Red and Pallet Town might look like in a Pokemon Red and Blue redo with this style. As more and more games begin to embrace the retro-modern hybrid art style, it becomes more apparent that Pokémon franchise is forfeited by not utilizing it in some capacity.
Two HD 2D games were released very recently, with Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake released back in October, and Octopath Traveler 0 was released just last month, showing that there is an ongoing trend for this art style.
Immersive NPCs would help modernize the classic Pokemon formula
Another feature Paul says he would like to see in one Pokémon remakes are adaptive NPCs that grow with the player. While he doesn't elaborate on what this kind of feature would look like, there are a few ways Pokémon games can make NPCs more immersive. For example, if the player keeps defeating their rival, that rival's story arc might change, and they might end up joining Team Rocket. They can also change their team depending on which Pokémon the player is using to gain a type advantage and increase the difficulty if the player continues to easily beat them.
Alternatively, if the player often loses to the rival, they can follow the standard Pokemon Red and Blue the path to becoming an Elite Four champion. Games with deep story choices and player agency have become fashionable thanks to modern possibilities, so to speak Pokémon franchise putting a twist on its classic formula with these types of story variations would be a logical next step.
Modern hardware could handle multiple Pokémon regions in one game
Paul's desire to see the best generations of Pokémon combined would naturally lend itself to a multi-region game with an expanded Pokedex. Ever since the release of Pokemon Gold and Silver in Generation 2, fans have wanted another entry that takes them to several regions. Getting both the Johto and Kanto regions to fit on a Game Boy Color cartridge was a challenge in 1999, but modern video game compression techniques could easily fit multiple regions in a single game, especially with a less demanding graphical style like the HD-2D format.
As such, it would be great to see Kanto, Johto, and even Hoenn all become available in a single game that honors the original three generations of Pokémon. With many of the fans who grew up with these games the same age as Paul, he's likely right that there's a lot of nostalgia for the early ones Pokémon generations that are not utilized properly.
The most recent Gen 1 remakes came in the form of Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eeveebut these games were aimed at Pokémon GO players rather than older fans of the original games.
Other features Paul suggests would make the Gen 1 more user-friendly
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Online battles
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Online trading
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DLC
Internet capabilities would be the last necessity for a game like this, and that Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee Games don't do enough to make the Gen 1 experience as streamlined in this regard. In these games, players can only battle players registered as friends on their Nintendo Switch, and online trading is player-to-player only, with no GTS-like database for trade. Adding these features to a retro-style remake would go a long way toward satisfying older fans, and could prove a welcome option for those players if they feel something of the current Pokémon games are too easy.
- Released
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16 October 2025
- ESRB
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All 10+ / Fantasy violence, in-game purchase
