Pokémon Legends: Z-A is just under three months away, and as far as we know, the RPG is a single-player game similar to Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, Nintendo has added some information to the game’s eShop page that has fans speculating it might secretly have some kind of multiplayer functionality that developer Game Freak hasn’t announced yet.
If you open up the eShop and go to Legends: Z-A’s page and scroll down to the Publisher Information section, you’ll see a breakdown of the “Mystery Gift” functionality. Veterans will know this is a feature that gives players special rewards. This can be in an item drop or an event, but it’s also how Game Freak sometimes delivers special Pokémon to players. Legends: Z-A will give early adopters a Ralts holding a Gardevoirite so it can Mega Evolve when it reaches its final form. The Publisher Information description explains how the player can acquire this gift, and notes that they will have to get about an hour-and-a-half into the game to access something called the “Link Play” menu. Legends: Arceus didn’t have this menu, even when it let players trade critters, and the term “link” has a specific connotation in the Pokémon franchise, as the original Red and Green games allowed you to play against other players with a Link Cable. Even as Nintendo hardware has made the peripheral obsolete, its legacy as a staple for the series remains in games like Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Sleep, with the cord itself being usable as an in-game item to evolve monsters that typically evolved by trading them between games.
However, there’s one wrinkle in this theory. If you scroll down a little further, you’ll see it specified that Legends: Z-A only supports one player. At least, that’s what it says on the North American store. The Japanese eShop mentions that it will confirm online and local player numbers at a later time. We’ve reached out to Nintendo for comment and will update the story if we hear back.
Legends: Z-A just had a big showcase during the Pokémon Presents stream last week where no mention of any multiplayer functionality was made, but the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim are set to take place from August 15 to 17. It’s entirely possible we hear more about the game then, and given that the competitive community will have its eyes locked on the show, that seems as good a time as any to announce multiplayer if it exists. For now, however, we’re left with more questions. Legends: Z-A launches on Switch and Switch 2 on October 16.