Pokemon Legends: Z-A has remained one of Nintendo’s most anticipated games of 2025. The follow-up to 2022’s Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Legends: Z-A looks to build on that game’s unique gameplay mechanics to create a new definitive Pokemon game. It also looks to be one last big hurrah for the Pokemon franchise on the Nintendo Switch before the Nintendo Switch 2 is ready to go.
Most excitingly, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is set to return players to the Kalos region, an area that has not been explored in any of the mainline games since 2013’s Pokemon X and Y. Fans of the sixth generation of mainline Pokemon should be ready to re-explore Lumiose City, as the game puts that city in a major narrative spotlight. This new title will likely be a boon for the Nintendo Switch, but it could also do wonders if it works in tandem with another popular Pokemon title.
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The Argument For and Against Pokemon Legends: Z-A Keeping Gen 6’s Original Starters
Pokemon Legends: Z-A has yet to officially reveal its Starters, but the prevailing rumor that the Kalos Pokemon will return has several pros and cons.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Could Factor Into Pokemon GO
Pokemon GO Still Champions Mega Evolutions
Pokemon Legends: Z-A making a return to the Kalos region will do wonders for the ever-popular mobile game Pokemon GO. This is thanks largely to Pokemon GO being one of the only modern Pokemon titles that still champions Mega Evolution. The Mega Evolution mechanic first appeared in the original Kalos-based entries, Pokemon X and Y, but later entries have done away with Mega Evolutions in favor of new forms and features entirely.
Pokemon GO, however, has continued to implement Mega Evolutions as a major part of its gameplay. Unlike Pokemon X and Y, where Mega Evolutions come thanks to a Mega Stone, Pokemon can evolve into these forms in Pokemon GO once enough Mega Energy has been charged up. Once they evolve, they can maintain their Mega Form for eight real-world hours, whereas Pokemon X and Y only Mega Evolved Pokemon briefly during battles.
Pokemon Legends Z-A’s New Megas Could Make It Into Pokemon GO
Clearly, Pokemon Legends: Z-A has a great crossover opportunity with Pokemon GO thanks to Mega Evolutions. The initial trailer for Pokemon Legends: Z-A makes it clear that Mega Evolutions will play into the new game, which is to be expected from a game that takes place in the region that introduced them. With this new game looking to revive Mega Evolutions, Pokemon GO could take advantage of that.
After all, this new mainline entry will most likely introduce several brand-new Mega Evolutions for Pokemon that never received these forms in the past. Thus, Pokemon GO could take advantage of this and immediately add many of these new Mega Evolutions to its current roster. This would be a great promotional opportunity for Pokemon GO to build on the hype of Legends: Z-A while also aiding its current implementation of these forms.
Clearly, Pokemon Legends: Z-A has a great crossover opportunity with Pokemon GO thanks to Mega Evolutions.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Could Influence Next Year’s Kalos Tour
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s release could also influence the future of Pokemon GO, especially with the recurring Tour events that arrive close to every Pokemon Day and celebrate each Pokemon region. Though 2025 will be the year of the Unova Tour, 2026 will be the beginning of the Kalos Tour. While Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s 2025 release window might drive a wedge in some of Pokemon GO’s plans, a late-year release would put it reasonably close to the mobile game’s Kalos tour, creating a great promotional opportunity for the two titles.
2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Pokemon, as this new game should help close out the Nintendo Switch’s life on a high note. Its exciting return to Kalos also bodes well for other sectors of the Pokemon franchise, especially Pokemon GO, which should tie in nicely with Legends: Z-A’s reintroduction of Mega Evolutions. There’s a great cross-selling opportunity at play here, and hopefully, The Pokemon Company won’t let it slip.
