The Pokémon video game series is turning 20 this week, and Nintendo is determined to mark the occasion with a bang. It's hosting a Pokémon Direct on February 26th where it will be "celebrating" the anniversary... and, presumably, announcing some new games. The company isn't saying anything about what's coming, but Nerdleaks has unearthed recently-filed trademarks for both Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon -- it doesn't take much to connect the dots and realize that these are the games Nintendo is most likely to show during its live stream. We wouldn't rule out some surprises, but it sounds like you'll once again have a reason to catch Pikachu and crew.It looks like one of the announcements for tomorrow's Pokemon-themed Nintendo Direct briefing may have been spoiled. Trademark applications for Pokemon Sun and Moon, including logos, have been published on a European trademark registry. Discovered by Nerdleaks, the listings state they were filed today, February 25. The Nintendo Direct briefing, during which "big news" is expected, takes place February 26. Note that trademark registrations don't always amount to product releases. Additionally, there is no mention in the listings that Pokemon Sun and Moon are games. Additionally, Pokemon Sun and Moon appear to be the names of fan-made games, as you can see here in this Wikia. Below are the full trademark applications, as filed with the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM).
You can check out the logos for the rumored games in the slider image above. The Pokemon-themed Nintendo Direct kicks off February 26 at 7 AM PST / 10 AM EST. GameSpot will have all the news for you as it's announced. February 27 is the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise's debut in Japan in 1996. Nintendo is planning a big celebration, including a 24-hour animation livestream event on Twitch. The next major Pokemon game is Pokken Tournament, which comes to Wii U in March. The latest entries in the series for 3DS were Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which came out in November 2014. GameSpot has contacted The Pokemon Company about this report. We will update this post with anything we might hear back.
