A LEGO Pokemon Game Could Incorporate the Best Aspects of a Popular Mod

You’d think that the most successful entertainment franchise in history would already have its own official LEGO set, right? Well, surprisingly, Pokémon hasn’t—until now. Just last month, The LEGO Group announced a new partnership with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. This collaboration is set to bring a range of LEGO products inspired by the legendary franchise starting in 2026. It’s an exciting multi-year partnership, although aside from teasing a LEGO Pikachu model in the announcement trailer, they’ve kept most details under wraps.

With Pokémon finally getting its own line of LEGO merchandise, there’s speculation about what might come next. Imagine if The LEGO Group, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo teamed up to create a LEGO Pokémon video game. While not every pop-culture hit with its own LEGO set morphs into a video game (take Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft, for instance), such a move feels more feasible now. If they ever do decide to produce a LEGO Pokémon game, taking some cues from the fan-favorite mod Cobblemon could be a smart move.

Cobblemon may not ring a bell for every gamer, but if you’ve been part of the vibrant Minecraft modding community, it’s a name you might have encountered. This open-source mod adds charmingly blocky Pokémon into Minecraft’s expansive sandbox world, almost like a continuation of the beloved yet discontinued Pixelmon mod that The Pokémon Company took down in 2017. Though only around for a few years and still evolving, Cobblemon is already brimming with features.

This mod boasts over 700 Pokémon, all ready for capture. Players can engage their Pokémon in battles against others, much like in the official Pokémon games, thanks to the Pokémon Showdown! engine that maintains fidelity to the original titles. Cobblemon even introduces Legends: Arceus-like elements, such as move relearning and optional evolution. The mod goes a step further by adding new structures to Minecraft, housing gilded chests teeming with loot.

Cobblemon offers a fantastic blueprint for what a LEGO Pokémon game could look like. It might not be an officially licensed Pokémon product, but its LEGO-esque aesthetic captures the spirit perfectly. It mirrors much of the battling and capturing systems of the mainline Pokémon games and, like LEGO, it inspires creativity. Players can invent their own Pokémon designs using data packs. Considering Minecraft already shares similarities with LEGO, the addition of Cobblemon makes it an ideal foundation for a LEGO Pokémon game.

There is, however, one significant hurdle to jump for a LEGO Pokémon video game to come to life: Nintendo. Historically, Nintendo isn’t keen on developing games featuring other companies’ intellectual properties. This reluctance might be why beloved franchises like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing have LEGO sets but no corresponding LEGO games. Despite this, the potential success of a LEGO Pokémon game is undeniable. If Nintendo and The LEGO Group can bridge this gap, it might not just be a dream scenario for fans, but a commercial triumph.