When it comes to Pokémon in the past the most common way new elements were revealed was either through an official announcement or the anime series. Every once in a while we'd get a silhouette or surprise, but nothing like what has been seen in the past couple years. With Pokémon having just wrapped up their 24 hour nature documentary-like livestream, this brings into perspective a brand new style of reveals that would be fantastic to see continued from here on out.
In the early years of Pokémon when many players were younger, there was an air of mystery to everything the first few generations. Especially considering at the time games released in Japan first, so there were little trickles of information and endless rumors and speculation that lead to the rise of things like Pikablu among kids. This sort of speculation and discussion was great for the games overall, and while many rumors weren't true it still got people talking. Starting with the 3DS, speculation for Pokémon began to take a nosedive. Trailers began revealing mass elements of the games and there was a lack of surprises waiting for players by the time they got the game if they followed the news. Now for the eighth generation we're seeing a brand new return to form that leaves players young and old lost in wonder in things they can't wait to see or know more about.
The most recent revival of this was for the Pokémon Meltan. It first appeared in Pokémon GO randomly for many players and later the next day following a community event in each region. At the time there was no name given, and when caught Meltan transformed into Ditto. The speculation and conversation around it was widespread, and players were enthralled with the sudden mystery. The next time was recent with the glitchy first appearance of Sirfetch'd on the official Pokémon website, in which an odd pixelated image had players trying to decipher what it meant and finding hidden pages to uncover who this bizarre new Pokémon was. Then finally the 24 hour livestream, in which fans around the world tuned in occasionally to check on the wildlife to see if they could glimpse something which finally lead to the reveal of a new unicorn Pokémon. These sorts of mysterious reveals for Pokémon are really what the series has been missing for years now and it's helping boost interest im mensely and getting fans more excited than ever as they work together to uncover more about these Pokémon.
These sorts of reveals and mystery obviously can't be used for everything, as it would quickly grow to be repetitive and boring but it's still a much more enjoyable approach when compared to the Sun and Moon style of simply revealing nearly everything before launch. While some fans might rather know everything right away, there's something that just feels more natural about people having to really communicate and work together when a new mystery pops up. Pokémon is not a series that really needs to advertise that much, as realistically it's bound to sell millions of units without even trying, but when they truly put effort into it they make something special that remains so much more memorable for years to come.
While there may be various controversies and heated debates cropping up related to Sword and Shield, the advertisement for these titles is one thing that feels like it's been on top of its game. Although we're a little over a month away, it feels like we know a nice minimum amount to go into it and feel like there's a good grasp without everything having been explained or told before hand. These mysterious appearances of Pokémon makes a great form of advertisement that wants players to be actively involved, and with a franchise as big as Pokémon it makes sense to want to get players excited to uncover what lies in wait for them in the newest region. There's always been something wonderful about the charm of Pokémon and this new region is making older fans feel like kids again with a great amount of intrigue that doesn't feel forced or silly. Hopefully this is the way that advertisement continues for the series, as it's a much better approach for these upcoming title s than what we've gotten in a last few years.
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