Though the first DLC forPokemon Scarlet and Violetcalled The Teal Mask is slated for a fall release window, past patterns and other factors may provide clues as to when it could launch. The Teal Mask is just one half of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, with The Indigo Disk slated for a winter release closer to the holiday season, nearly a year after the launch ofPokemon Scarlet and Violet. Though the games have been marred by problems and bugs that The Pokemon Company continues to address, that has not stopped it from keeping to its previously established release windows for the DLC.
The DLC will bringPokemon Scarlet and Violettrainers to Kitakami, where the mysterious Pokemon called Ogerpon andThe Loyal Three PokemonOkidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti call home. With inspirations taken from Japanese mythology, particularly of the folk hero Momotaro and his animal companions, those should provide sharp-eyedPokemontrainers with an idea of what could await them in the land of Kitakami.
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Pinning Down When The Teal Mask Could Release in Fall 2023
The Teal Mask will include a slate ofreturning DLC Pokemonsuch as Yanma, Sentret, and Vulpix that could also be found in the Johto region, which Kitakami seemingly takes inspiration from. In addition, fall in Japan is a time for different folk festivals, some of which may be the inspiration behind the school trip that will takePokemon Scarlet and Violet players to Kitakami. As for the DLC itself, a fall release window could be interpreted in two ways. The first is the quarterly windows in the fiscal year, with the fall correlating to the third quarter that runs from July 1 to September 30.
The second and more likely window goes by the actual seasons of the Northern Hemisphere. In 2023, fall starts on September 23 and ends on December 22, the first day of winter. Using the latter as the basis for any predictions may narrow down a few potential days for when The Teal Mask could launch.
During the June 21 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo pulled back the curtain on some releases that will be out during the second half of 2023. Within the fall 2023 release window, two titles stood out. The first of them is the2D platformerSuper Mario Bros. Wonder, which will release on October 20. The second of these is theSuper Mario RPGremake, which will launch on November 17. Given the fact that The Pokemon Company tends to not release games or DLC at the same time as first-party Nintendo titles, those two weekends are unlikely to be the release dates for The Teal Mask.
In 2020, whenPokemon Sword and Shieldreleased its two expansions, both The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra were respectively launched on June 17 and October 22. At the time, those dates fell on a Wednesday and on a Thursday. The fact that both expansions were released outside a weekend launch window may indicate thatPokemon Scarlet and Violetcould either follow suit or go for a weekend release anyway. BothThe Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundrawere released within four months of each other during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barring any delays, a similar timeframe for The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk could come into play. Assuming that bothPokemon Scarlet and VioletDLC are released within four months or less of each other, and before the end of 2023, this could mean that The Teal Mask’s release date could land between September 23 and 30. By that logic, that would give The Indigo Disk a potential release date of late December, assuming the winter timeframe holds and refers to a 2023 release date. However, any predictions forPokemon Scarlet and Violet’s The Teal Maskare to be taken with a grain of salt given how large the window is.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare available now for Nintendo Switch.
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