Pokémon Winds & Waves Officially Shares New Monster Designs For 30th Anniversary

Published Nov 7, 2026, 8:30 AM EST Ewan is Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's gaming section. He still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase, and knows more about The Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who than is probably healthy. Ewan oversees the content operation of ScreenRant's gaming output, working with a talented team of writers and editors to cover everything from the latest GTA 6 news to the indie games you need on your radar. Former Editor of GAMINGbible, Ewan also has words at Kotaku, Den of Geek, NME, and UNILAD. He's appeared on various podcasts, including VGC's and BBC's Let's Talk About Tech. Pokémon has been going for 30 years now, but we're far from done, so sit back down and get ready for more. Pokémon Winds & Waves was announced as part of the series' 30th anniversary earlier this year, alongside a promising-looking new tropical open-world region and all-new monsters to collect on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027. At the time of writing, we've only had one official trailer from Nintendo, during which just three new Pokémon were unveiled. Those were, of course, the new starters: Water-type Gecqua, Fire-type Pombon, and Grass-type Browt. I would die for any one of them, but I'm definitely choosing Pombon when the game launches. Game Freak has yet to confirm the full evolutionary line for the new starter 'mon, but we have been given a brand-new look at the new Pokémon in action alongside some more familiar faces. Better yet, this glimpse has a nice retro flavor to it, which is fitting for a 30th anniversary celebration. Despite Pokémon Winds & Waves not coming until 2027, The Pokémon Company is marking the series' 30th Birthday with an almost alarming number of other releases, including merch, art, collaborations, and special events. I have to say, there's been an almost overwhelming amount of merch. In October, Pokémon teamed up with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Japan, which itself is celebrating its altogether more impressive 100th anniversary. The NHK Symphony Orchestra × Pokémon Classic Concert Tour included gorgeous new artwork of every single starter Pokémon, including Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua. The three new monsters are the only ones without instruments, which is odd. Perhaps The Pokémon Company didn't want to give away that Pombon evolves into a fiery brass instrument called Trompombone? Pikachu is, of course, the conductor, because they always get top billing. The art itself is from an artist who goes by sowsow on social media. This new look doesn't give away a huge amount about the new starter Pokémon, but it's still nice to see them up there alongside all the other starter 'mon from the last three decades. It's unclear exactly when Nintendo and Game Freak will show off the evolutions for Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua. I would imagine we won't see them until we find them for ourselves in the game next year, although in an era of increasingly prevalent leaks, I don't think it'll be long before someone just posts their designs on Twitter for clout. I'd love to be wrong about that, but I really don't think I am. As for when we'll get our next official look at Pokémon Winds & Waves? There's currently a mysterious countdown to November 30, but there's no indication that it's for something related to Winds & Waves specifically. I would imagine the next big look at our next Pokémon game will be February 2027, next Pokémon Day, but watch this space. Released 2027 Developer(s) Game Freak Publisher(s) The Pokemon Company, Nintendo Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer Prequel(s) Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Franchise Pokemon Number of Players Single-player