Recent Pokémon titles have introduced players to a feature known as regional forms, in which certain Pokémon have different appearances depending on the region they can be found in. Alolan forms and Galarian forms appeared in Pokémon Sun & Moon and Pokémon Sword & Shield, respectively, and since then have been included in various spin-off games in the franchise. With Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl gearing up to take players back to the Sinnoh region, is it possible that new regional variants could appear there too?
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl should release in November 2021 after years of Sinnoh fans requesting the highly-anticipated remakes. Given that Diamond and Pearl initially released in 2006, a return to the Sinnoh region has been a long time coming in the eyes of many players, who are excited to see the game through the lens of updated visuals and gameplay. Although trailers have been revealed for the upcoming release, it's not currently certain exactly how many (and which) of Diamond and Pearl's features will be receiving an upgrade - and it's equally unclear what new mechanics could be coming to the Sinnoh region.
One of the more widely-discussed mechanics is that of regional variants, which initially appeared in Pokémon Sun and Moon. There, players travelled to a new region known as Alola, where they encountered Alolan forms of various Pokémon from other entries in the series. Rattata, Sandshrew, Vulpix, and Meowth are just a few examples of Pokémon who were given Alolan forms. Later on, Pokémon Sword & Shield introduced variants that were exclusive to the region of Galar. Ponyta, Slowpoke, and even Mr. Mime received Galarian forms. It's unclear, though, whether regional variants are likely to be introduced in regions the games have previously visited.
The release of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl won't be the first time the Pokémon series has revisited older regions. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which came out back in 2014, acted as a remake of 2002's Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire titles. It's worth noting, however, that there were no regional forms introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's return to the fan-favorite Hoenn region. That said, the Ruby and Sapphire remakes came out a couple years before Pokémon Sun and Moon - which raises the possibility that regional forms simply hadn't been conceptualized yet at the time.
This possibility makes it seem marginally more likely that Sinnoh could see the return of regional variants as well once Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release this fall. Sinnoh already featured some Pokémon with differing appearances or abilities based on their location; Shellos, for example, comes in different colors depending on whether it was caught in the West Sea or East Sea of the region. This makes it seem as though it wouldn't be much of a stretch for the remakes to explore the concept further. It remains to be seen, though, how closely the latest Pokémon remakes plan to stick to the original features of Diamond and Pearl. Otherwise, it's possible Sinnoh variants may appear in Legends: Arceus next year.
