The Pokémon Company is up to something again. The official Pokémon website in Japan quietly launched an unconventional countdown that, if fans’ predictions are right, will expire at 9 AM EST/6 AM PT on November 30, 2026.
While the company hasn’t officially said there’s a big announcement coming at the end of November, this cheeky little stunt has already swept fans (including Serebii.net webmaster Joe Merrick) up into a maelstrom of speculation.
Most agree that we’re probably getting a major Pokémon Direct on November 30. November is usually an important month for the franchise, so odds are whatever’s coming on the 30th is something big. The only thing fans seem to be disagreeing on is what the Direct will be about.
The dominant theory right now is that the Direct will be entirely-or-mostly focused on Pokémon: Winds & Waves. The 10th Generation of Pokémon’s first mainline console games were officially unveiled in February with a cinematic trailer that showed off the new starter trio and the game’s Indonesian archipelago-inspired region, but we haven’t gotten any significant updates since.
Winds & Waves is set to come out sometime next year, and fans are eager to see what the games have in store. There’s plenty of reason to be excited, as a Winds & Waves-themed Direct could show us some of the region’s new Pokémon (which could include the game’s mascot Legendaries), introduce new battle mechanics, or show off how players will navigate the game’s expansive open world.
While most fans seem to agree that the November 30 announcement will be Winds & Waves-related, there’s reason to believe it could be something else. The most popular alternative theory is that we’ll get official Switch ports of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald.
Pokémon fans have been guessing for quite some time that a port of Ruby & Sapphire is on its way. Evidence includes a 30-second clip of Ruby & Sapphire running on an emulator posted to the official Pokémon account, and the fact that modders found Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald emulation data hidden inside Pokémon: FireRed & LeafGreen‘s Switch ports.
While the formal announcement of a Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald Switch port would be very exciting news, it’s only one of the many possibilities Pokémon fans are kicking around. Some hope the announcement will be a new Pokémon Go season, a second DLC for Poketopia, or news about the next Regulation Set for Pokémon Champions.
While it’s impossible to say exactly what The Pokémon Company has in store for us in November, it’s clear it won’t be a minor announcement. The amount of effort the Pokémon Company is putting into building up this announcement is well outside the norm for a run-of-the-mill Pokémon Direct. So whether it’s a full-onWinds & Waves feature or a mixed bag of smaller reveals, November 30, 2026, will be a big day for Pokémon fans.
