The Pokémon Company Limits National Pokédex, Prepares for a Future of 10,000 Creatures

The Pokémon universe currently encompasses 1025 distinct species, a figure that doesn't even account for alternative forms such as regional variants, Gigantamax transformations, or Mega Evolutions. With the impending release of the tenth generation's flagship titles, this number is set to grow further. Even at its present count, very few enthusiasts can recall the names of all existing Pokémon. One can only imagine the complexity when the franchise eventually reaches 10,000 Pokémon, a milestone perhaps 300 years away.

One fact remains clear: the National Pokédex will continue to be absent from the main series games for this very reason. Modern Pokémon RPGs only feature a subset of the entire Pokédex due to the ever-increasing number of creatures with each new generation. This challenge is being addressed differently in *Pokémon Champions*, the franchise's new competitive battle platform, which will host all future tournaments. Developers will offer a rotating selection of creatures available to all players, with new species temporarily replacing others on the roster.

"Our current plan is for these types of changes to occur over time, so that the metagame or the Pokémon available at any given moment can vary," explained producer Masaaki Hoshino in a group interview with GamesRadar+. "We plan for *Pokémon Champions* to continue for a very long time, practically forever, as long as the Pokémon series continues to exist. And who knows? In the distant future, we will have 2000, 3000, perhaps even 10,000 Pokémon. If we had all those Pokémon available, I believe the situation would become too complicated."

Each Pokémon generation introduces approximately 100 new species. This trajectory suggests the collection will likely exceed 1100 unique creatures by 2027, coinciding with the launch of the next generation's games. It took the series 30 years to surpass 1000 Pokémon, so it wouldn't be surprising if, by the year 2300, Pokémon games are still being played, allowing *Pokémon Champions* to celebrate its 10,000th creature.

*Pokémon Champions* is scheduled to launch on April 8th for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, with a release for mobile devices planned at a later date.