Is there a possibility of there being other regional variants?

[Necrozma]

Given how they introduced Alola forms in S/M, do you think it's possible they'll do something similar for other regions/games? Like introduce Sinnoh variants or Unova variants of other Pokemon?

Or will this feature remain exclusive to Sun/Moon?

 

[Esserise]

Sinnoh and Unova variants of Gen I Pokémon, I'm sure

I don't think it will remain exclusive to Alola. If they wanted to do that, then why make the official name of the concept the much-broader term "regional variants" instead of just, you know, "Alola Forms"? Currently, the way that those terms are structured would suggest that there could be variants for other regions, and that Alola Forms are a specific category of regional variants.

 

[Tea & Scones]

Sinnoh and Unova variants of Gen I Pokémon, I'm sure

I don't think it will remain exclusive to Alola. If they wanted to do that, then why make the official name of the concept the much-broader term "regional variants" instead of just, you know, "Alola Forms"? Currently, the way that those terms are structured would suggest that there could be variants for other regions, and that Alola Forms are a specific category of regional variants.

All though I kind of agree with your statement, I have to mention that they said "These pokemon have thrived in the Alola Region". So in that case Gamefreak might keep it (it pains me to say this) a generational thing.

 

[Arceus the Dragon]

Not sure. Alola is quite a tropical place where the climate would be different to the other regions which is why there are variants. It is possible but I wouldn't expect it to happen again in the next gen.

 

[Silktree]

Not sure. Alola is quite a tropical place where the climate would be different to the other regions which is why there are variants. It is possible but I wouldn't expect it to happen again in the next gen.

Climate only explains the changes for Exeggutor and the Sandshrew and Vulpix lines. Alolan Marowak, Meowth, Raichu and Rattata resulted from other factors.

I don't know about the next generation, but they're probably going to keep playing with variants in the next Generation VII release. They could revisit an old region via sequels and use the passage of time as an explanation for the emergence of new variants (which would be far more elegant than the excuse they used for Mega Evolutions in ORAS).

 

[smalllady]

I really hope regional variants aren't just another region-exclusive gimmick. Gamefreak needs to start making more permanent changes to their games, and regional variants would make future games more interesting.

 

[Aulos]

Not sure. Alola is quite a tropical place where the climate would be different to the other regions which is why there are variants. It is possible but I wouldn't expect it to happen again in the next gen.

Yet two of our variations happen from a cold, snowy mountain in Alola. Lol. Clearly, it really isn't because Alola is tropical.

That's not to say I have much faith in them returning the feature. It's very neat... but at this point it just seems to be Gamefreak pedaling more on G1 nostalgia. =(

 

[Bolt Strike]

I think they will, because it makes the inclusion of old Pokemon in the games a lot more interesting. It'd also be great to see in remakes because some of the older games have problems with type variety and this could possibly help fix it.

 

[slate]

i think it'll only be gen 1 for these games

if the feature comes back it'll probably be for future generations

i don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, gen 1 pokemon are really some of the most iconic pokemon in the series and gamefreak seems intent on giving the kanto mons some interesting type combinations and aesthetic changes and i'd rather see them put some interesting stuff into gen 1 than just sprinkle a few alola forms across all generations, but maybe that's just me

of course the two concepts aren't incompatible, but still

 

[Almonds]

It's a nice concept - makes the pokemon world more realistic in terms of biology and evolution. I hope it returns in the future, but applying to other pokemon as well.

Though on the topic of the Vulpix, I thought it would fit more in Sinnoh (or potential Sinnoh remakes) as Sinnoh is the coldest pokemon region located way north.

 

[Muur]

I doubt there will be ones through remakes, since that has never happened before but I guess we will have to see.

 

[Esserise]

I doubt there will be ones through remakes, since that has never happened before but I guess we will have to see.

I agree that it seems unlikely, but to be fair, while HGSS didn't introduce any new forms aside from Spiky-Eared Pichu (which hardly counts as it was just a one-off movie tie-in), ORAS later went whole-hog and introduced 20 Mega Evolutions and even invented its own tangential mechanic. So who knows, maybe they just needed an interesting concept to work with first.

 

[henrymidfields]

s a couple of people mentioned, it can be possible as as a way to introduce diversity in the species (you know, like the real world).

 

[Zeb]

I hope so. It's an interesting concept that doesn't deserve to be a one-game-and-done thing. The series is all about evolution after all.

 

[Ithpae]

I think it is a really neat and interesting idea that would be wasted if Gamefreak would only use it for Gen VII. It has so much potential to be great and, if utilized properly (as in not using it just for Kanto Pokémon), it would bring tons of diversity to old Pokémon we know and love and would also make the world feel more lively and real because in the real world, not every animal species looks the same throughout. Just imagine a regional Tyranitar or a regional Luxray. I honestly would like to see this feature return from Gen VII onward and I can easily see it becoming a staple of the series.

 

[winstein]

It would probably not be utilised, but I would like to see some new versions of foreign region Pokemon when it comes to revisiting Unova and Kalos through remakes. Unova's urban focus and Kalos' beauty focus could lead to some new takes on the old and the new.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Arcalargo]

I would want to see the lore behind why the Alola variants exist before I could say about bringing more in. I wouldn't mind seeing more, but it would be nice to see a "why" behind which one's got chosen.

 

[juliorain]

Sinnoh and Unova variants of Gen I Pokémon, I'm sure

I don't think it will remain exclusive to Alola. If they wanted to do that, then why make the official name of the concept the much-broader term "regional variants" instead of just, you know, "Alola Forms"? Currently, the way that those terms are structured would suggest that there could be variants for other regions, and that Alola Forms are a specific category of regional variants.

though on the website and in the videos "regional variants" and "alolan forms" are used interchangeably... but i think it has been mentioned before that the forms would be just variants of pokemon from kanto. Besides we even have Sampson...Alolan Oak! XD

It's a nice concept - makes the pokemon world more realistic in terms of biology and evolution. I hope it returns in the future, but applying to other pokemon as well.

Though on the topic of the Vulpix, I thought it would fit more in Sinnoh (or potential Sinnoh remakes) as Sinnoh is the coldest pokemon region located way north.

it would probably return because it is a fun and unobtrusive way to make an old pokemon relevant to a specific region. if anything gen viii would probably introduce variants of johto pokes. It would make more sense to do an actual remake of the gen IV games this gen (if of course this gen doesn't get eclipsed by the fabled NX and pushes us into gen 8 )

EDIT: I just noticed something: They could make a DP remake in gen 8 (4 * 2 = 8) ORAS remake of gen III in 6 (3*2=6), and gen 1 remakes in 3 (1*2=2 but that would be too soon so they pushed it back a generation)

EDIT2: The site said about alola vulpix being ice due to it moving to the top of the mountain. Hawaii's Mauna Kea is actually snow capped during parts of the year

 

[Eggseggseggseggs]

At the very least I could see them bringing the concept back so they can give new forms to some of the gen 1 mon that won't get them this time, especially during remake times (although I know a lot of people don't like gen 1 getting a lot of special treatment, to me that just seems like the most likely thing that they would do at the moment).

They seem to be more open to doing things like new megas and possibly variants before a new gen than they ever are about entirely new pokemon. They might maybe give gen 2 mon more forms too, especially if Go gets a lot more traction around the time they add gen 2 there.

Alternatively they could give variants to pokemon that are native to the region they remake, or more than one of these things. Who knows?

 

[Esserise]

though on the website and in the videos "regional variants" and "alolan forms" are used interchangeably...

Not technically. This is somewhat of a grammatical illusion - we don't have any other examples of regional variants at the moment, so currently, any use of the term "regional variant" has the default appearance of referring to Alola Forms. And they're not going to be talking about variants from other regions right now.

If/when we see variants for other regions, the distinction between the two terms will become more apparent.