Speculations about "Pokémon Stars" began anew, following the release of images of the new merchandise Pokémon Center Japan will be offering. While the imagery is said to have been inspired by Cosmog, the legendary creature from "Pokémon Sun" and "Pokémon Moon," some fans speculate it could be the company's way of teasing the arrival of "Pokémon Stars."
Eurogamer's Tom Phillips led the speculation via a Twitter post, featuring the "thinking" emoji alongside an image on the new merchandise.
Tsunekazu Ishihara, chief executive of The Pokémon Company Japan, previously stated in a September 2016 interview with The Wall Street Journal that they will be producing a game for the Nintendo Switch, following the popularity of Niantic-produced mobile game "Pokémon GO." Two months later, Eurogamer revealed that a new Pokémon-themed game, code-named "Pokémon Stars," will be released for the Nintendo Switch in 2017. For its part, TechRadar said that since "Pokémon Sun" and "Pokémon Moon" challenged the graphics of the Nintendo 3DS, it is likely that the company will be looking into a more advanced console, such as the Nintendo Switch, for its new release.
The Pokémon Company itself, however, has not yet made a clear statement that it will be producing a game titled "Pokémon Stars." It also has not made announcements about when the game will be released.
In January, United States–based retailer GameStop may have just accidentally revealed that a Pokémon game will be released for the Nintendo Switch.
Eagle-eyed Twitter user Stealth caught the hint from the retailer's website's description of the Nintendo Switch. The second paragraph goes, "Nintendo Switch games will include new title offerings from Mario, Splatoon, Zelda, the NBA, and more! You will even be able to play Skyrim on the go or Pokémon at home with the Nintendo Switch. The unit will also include a number of handy, interchangeable Nintendo Switch accessories."
GameStop has since edited this section. However, the abovementioned Twitter user was able to get a screenshot of the original text.
