In 2010, Game Freak decided to reset the counter. For the fifth generation, all the Pokémon would be new, and the region would no longer be inspired by Japan. A look back at the creation of Black and White, from their announcement to their legacy.
📢The announcement and first reveals
- January 29, 2010: The Pokémon Company announces a new Pokémon role-playing game for Nintendo DS for the end of the year in Japan.
- February and March 2010: the silhouette of a mysterious Pokémon nicknamed “Z” appears, tied to the thirteenth movie. CoroCoro magazine reveals its identity: Zoroark, and its pre-evolution Zorua, the first Pokémon unveiled for the generation.
- April 2010: the names Black and White and the logos are unveiled on a Japanese mini-site. The first images show the new 3D, the merging of Pokémon Centers and Poké Marts, and battles where the Pokémon are always animated.
- May 2010: the three starter Pokémon are presented, then Reshiram and Zekrom, the dragons of the box art.
📅Release dates
| Territory | Date |
|---|---|
| Japan | September 18, 2010 |
| France | March 4, 2011 |
| North America | March 6, 2011 |
In France, the official date announcement came on January 10, 2011. Black and White were a huge success, with more than 15 million copies sold worldwide.
🗽A region inspired by New York
For the first time, a Pokémon region is not inspired by Japan. Unova draws on New York and its surroundings: Castelia City for Manhattan, Nimbasa City for Coney Island, Driftveil City for the port facing it on the Hudson, and probably the Entralink for Central Park. This deliberate distance from the previous regions goes hand in hand with the choice to use only new Pokémon. Our Premium guide Unova, the New York of Pokémon offers the full tour.
🎬On television and in cinemas
Seasons 14 to 16 of the animated series take place in Unova: Ash travels there with Iris and Cilan. Three movies are tied to the generation: Victini and Reshiram and Victini and Zekrom, released together in two versions, Kyurem VS the Sword of Justice with Keldeo, and Genesect and the Legend Awakened. The site covers the whole series in its Pokémon Series mini-site.
⏳The legacy
- 2012: Black 2 and White 2, the first direct sequels in the main series, two years later in Unova. See Black 2 and White 2.
- 2013: with X and Y, Pokémon moves to full 3D on Nintendo 3DS, and the Black and White seasons will not return.
- Today: N, Iris, Cheren and Bianca are recurring characters in the spin-off games, and Unova remains the region where the series took the biggest gamble in its history.
To discover the game itself, read our review and follow our complete walkthrough.
