Since 2026 is the 30th anniversary Pokemon franchise, 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 Pokemon Gen 10 hints that fans will see this new generation of games in the coming year, but that may just be the tip of the iceberg. As fans begin to look at that future, WWE professional wrestler and online influencer Logan Paul recently shared his idea for a new Pokemon a game that bridges the old with the new in a way that would actually be the perfect way for the series to evolve while still appealing to longtime fans.
Pokemon remakes are nothing new, and the series has been releasing updated and remixed versions of past 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, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Pokemonwere met with mixed reviews due to a combination of gameplay changes and visual style changes. If Game Freak were to take a step back and rethink the remake formula moving forward, then it might want to consider some of the aspects that Logan Paul included in his recent selection.
One unexpected pokemon suddenly sets a new record in 2026
It's already been a huge year for the Pokemon franchise with its 30th anniversary on the horizon, but one creature has quietly broken a major record.
Logan Paul's idea for a new Pokemon game is actually kind of genius
In a recent viral X post, Paul described his ideal Pokemon game as a remake Pokemon Gen 1 and 2 which is updated with more efficient features while still maintaining the classic look of the originals. Paul notes that he plays these old Game Boys Pokemon games every few years because it doesn't have much connection to the newer creatures outside of Annihilape and Baxcalibur. He goes on to say that he believes other older fans feel the same way, and that there's an untapped market for remakes of several early generations rolled into a single game with updated features, a Pokedex full of the best of the best, and a retro art style.
The HD-2D Art Style is perfect for a Gen 1 Pokemon remake
The rise of the HD-2D art style seems like the perfect direction for the older generation remakes that Paul describes. Promoted by games like 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 visuals are achieved by using 2D pixel sprites in a 3D environment with dramatic lighting that gives the appearance of higher graphical fidelity.
AND Pokemon a game that uses an HD-2D art style is not a revolutionary concept, and many fans have suggested a remake of a similar art style in the past. Another X user even commented on Paul's post with a mockup showing what Red and Pallet Town might look like in Pokemon red and blue redo using this style. As more and more games begin to adopt a retro-modern hybrid art style, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Pokemon the franchise loses by not using it in some capacity.
Two HD-2D games have recently been released with Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake will be released in October and Octopath Traveler 0 released just last month, showing that this art style is an ongoing trend.
Immersive NPCs would help modernize the classic Pokémon formula
Another feature Paul says he'd like to see in va Pokemon remakes are adaptive NPCs that grow with the player. While it doesn't specify what this type of feature would look like, there are a few ways Pokemon the game could make the NPCs more immersive. For example, if a player keeps defeating their rival, maybe that rival's story could change and they could end up joining Team Rocket. They could also change their team depending on which Pokemon the player was using to give them a type advantage and increase the difficulty if the player was easily defeating them.
Alternatively, if a player often loses to a rival, they can follow the standard Pokemon red and blue the path to becoming an Elite Four champion. Games with deep story choice and player agency have become in vogue thanks to modern options, so it can be seen Pokemon franchise to combine its classic formula with these types of story variants would be a logical next step.
Modern hardware could handle multiple Pokemon areas in one game
Paul's desire to see the best generations Pokemon combined would naturally fit into a multi-region game with an expanded Pokedex. Since its release Pokemon Gold and Silver in Generation 2, fans craved another entry that takes them to more areas. Getting 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 into a single game, especially with a less demanding graphical style such as the HD-2D format.
It would be great if Kanto, Johto and even Hoenn became accessible in a single game that honors the original three generations Pokemon. Since many fans who grew up with these games have reached the same age as Paul, he's probably right that there's a lot of nostalgia for the early years. Pokemon generation that is not properly utilized.
The latest Gen 1 remakes have arrived in form Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eeveebut these games were aimed at Pokemon Go gamers rather than older fans of the original games.
Another feature Paul suggests is to make Gen 1 more user-friendly
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Online battles
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Online trading
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DLC
Internet features would be the last necessity for a game like this Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee the games don't do enough to make the Gen 1 experience effective 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 database for GTS-like trades. Adding these features to a retro-styled remake would go a long way towards satisfying older fans and could prove to be a welcome alternative for those players if they feel some of the current Pokemon the games are too easy.
- Released
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October 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy violence, in-game purchases
