Summary
WhilePokemon ScarletandVioletas well as its two DLC expansions, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk, returned toPokemon’s color-based naming convention, Gen 10 now faces a choice about whether it will stick to this or break from tradition all over again for its game versions.Pokemonhas various approaches when it comes to its naming conventions, such as howeach game’s Pokemon Professorhas a tree-related name, but its extensive use of colors is arguably the most well-known.
Pokemonfirst broke this color-based tradition for its mainline games' names several generations ago. This opened the door for future games to become more creative when it came to game titles, leading to Gen 7’sSunandMoonand Gen 8’sSwordandShield. But despite seeming inconsequential at face value,Pokemon’s name choice appears to tease key details about its upcoming region, story, and Pokemon. Additionally, just as others are already theorizing about thenew titles for Gen 5’s remakes, many will also be looking ahead to Gen 10 and speculating which titles it will use. But afterScarletandVioletand its DLC reverted to color-based names, Gen 10 could be the ultimate make-or-break moment for this tradition.
Gen 10 Might Reveal Pokemon’s True Colors
Why Pokemon’s Choice for Game Names Matter
Up until Gen 7,Pokemon’s mainline games had used color-based or color-related names, starting withRed,Green,Yellow, and the Japan-exclusiveBlue.That’s now seen again withPokemon ScarletandViolet. Though these names transitioned to include precious metals and gemstones, ranging from Gen 2’sGold,Silver, andCrystalto Gen 4’sDiamond, Pearl,andPlatinum, they still plausibly adhered to this convention. These names were superficial reflections of the games themselves, as they typically only connected to the design of their box art Pokemon with the likes ofYellow’s Pikachu orBlackandWhite’s Zekrom and Reshiram.
However, though the same could be said for Legendary Pokemon like Xerneas and Yveltal being literal representations ofXandYin design and namesake, other games likeSunandMoonorSwordandShielddemonstrate thatPokemon’s game names have evolved to become more nuanced. For instance,SunandMoonhad the unusual version exclusive of a mirrored day-night cycle, whileSwordandShieldand its DLCnames seem to be reflective of England’s medieval history that the Galar region and the game’s story were based on. With this in mind, Gen 10’s chosen titles could reveal something about the games themselves ahead of their release.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Have Complicated Pokemon’s Traditions
After three generations ofPokemongames appearing to retire the color-based naming convention,ScarletandVioletdemonstrated that Game Freak might not be ready to give up on this after all, especially with the addition ofThe Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk DLC. In fact, given that Game Freak has previously trademarked a broad range of names based on color shades and precious stones, coincidentally withScarlethaving been among these, it’s possible that Gen 10 could follow the color-based naming convention. Between outdated and recentPokemontrademarks, there appear to be several color- and stone-based names Game Freak could someday:
Gen 10 Might Be Better Off Breaking The Color-Based Tradition Again
But the use of colors forPokemon’s titles still faces the same challenge it did prior to Gen 6, as there are only so many viable options to choose from. Since these color-based names seem to be surface-level reflections of the games anyway,Gen 10 might benefit from breaking thisPokemontraditionagain and instead using more creative names like other recent generations. In doing so, these names could influence the direction of the game’s themes and features. Conversely, the story, Pokemon, or regional inspiration could determine the names of its versions' titles, such as the handful of examples below:
