Detective Pikachu 2 ‘nearing release’ according to developer’s LinkedIn

After three years of radio silence from The Pokémon Company on their Detective Pikachu 2 series, a LinkedIn post from Jonathan Murphy, a senior game programmer at Creatures Inc, gave a crucial update on the game’s sequel.

The post stated that he’s been working on “one unannounced project and one nearing release, Detective Pikachu 2.” Since the internet caught on to the post, Murphy changed it to read, “in development” instead of “nearing release” – but the damage is done.

There still isn’t a fixed date, but the breadcrumb thrown by the dev implies that we won’t have to wait long. Back when it was first announced, The Pokémon Company confirmed that it would not just be a port or re-release of the original 3DS game.

The Detective Pikachu 2 surprise

Instead, fans could expect a full-fledged sequel picking off from the story arc of the first Detective Pikachu, the plot of which was left inconclusive.

The company’s president, Tsunekazu Ishihara, while speaking at a Pokémon Business Strategy Announcement also promised that we can expect a different ending to the one in the film.

The game pretty much follows the same story as the hit film that was released back in 2019. It’s a cinematic adventure game centered around solving crimes and meeting trainers and Pokémon from all generations.

It follows the journey of the protagonist, Tim, as he travels through Ryme City in search of his father. The game also depicts a different version of Pikachu from the original, one that is now vocal and loud-mouthed rather than cute or playful.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu – Official Trailer 2

While Nintendo doesn’t generally hype up game releases, the complete absence of communication around Detective Pikachu’s development is still quite odd.

There hasn’t been a single showcase to date, nor an appearance at a Nintendo Direct. The game doesn’t even feature in Nintendo’s financial reports. The company has been surprisingly secretive about the new sequel, which bumps up the anticipation levels even more for its eventual release.