A LEGO Pokemon Game Could Capture the Best Elements of a Popular Mod

Though it’s one of the most iconic entertainment franchises of all time, the Pokémon series has surprisingly never had its own official LEGO set—until now. In a recent announcement, The LEGO Group revealed plans to collaborate with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company on a series of LEGO products inspired by the beloved franchise, set to launch in 2026. This new partnership is expected to last several years, but besides the mention of a LEGO Pikachu model in the promotional trailer, details about the extent of this collaboration remain under wraps.

With the Pokémon series finally branching into the world of LEGO, there’s speculation whether this collaboration could eventually evolve into a LEGO Pokémon video game. Not every popular franchise that receives a LEGO set ends up with a game adaptation—take Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft as examples—but this collaboration does make the idea more conceivable. Should these companies decide to create a LEGO Pokémon game, they might want to draw some inspiration from Cobblemon, a popular fan-made mod.

Cobblemon, for those who might not be entrenched in the Minecraft community, might be an unfamiliar name. However, avid Minecraft modders will likely recognize it as an inventive mod that brings blocky, adorable Pokémon to Mojang’s sandbox world. Essentially, it’s a community-driven continuation of the former Pixelmon mod, which had to be discontinued in 2017 after legal pressure from The Pokémon Company. Despite being relatively new, Cobblemon boasts a wealth of content.

This impressive mod includes over 700 catchable Pokémon and offers a battle system powered by the Pokémon Showdown! engine, echoing the mechanics of the official games. Players can enjoy features like move relearning and optional evolution mechanics reminiscent of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Cobblemon even enriches the Minecraft universe with new structures housing treasure-laden chests.

Although Cobblemon isn’t officially affiliated with Pokémon, it offers a LEGO-like aesthetic perfect for fans dreaming of a LEGO Pokémon game. By blending familiar elements from the Pokémon series with a creative sandbox environment, Cobblemon serves as a fantastic model for what such a game could look like. It taps into the creativity LEGO encourages, offering players the chance to create custom Pokémon designs through data packs, enhancing the already LEGO-esque feel of vanilla Minecraft.

Despite the potential, there’s a significant hurdle: Nintendo’s typical reluctance to develop games featuring other companies’ properties. This stance might explain why despite the existence of LEGO sets for franchises like Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda, they haven’t seen LEGO game adaptations. Nevertheless, a LEGO Pokémon game would undoubtedly be a blockbuster hit, merging two massively popular brands. Here’s hoping Nintendo and The LEGO Group will come together to turn this dream into reality.