The adorable little rabbit Pokémon Scorbunny is the fire-type starter for generation 8. The “scor” in its name presumably stands for “scorch”, similarly to its Japanese name Hibani (which uses the word for fire – “hi” – and “bunny”). But it could also mean “score”, and the Pokémon’s bandage-like square on its nose and the markings on its feet suggest the aesthetic of a soccer player.

We’ve had dog-like Pokémon based on all kinds of breeds: Dobermans, Scottish Terriers, Poodles, and many more. So wouldn’t it be a perfect time to introduce a Pokémon based on a Welsh Corgi? There’s even a great piece of fanart that depicts Queen Elizabeth with a full team of corgis!

Alternatively, Gamefreak could create a creature based on another royal dog, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Or maybe a Foxhound! We just want more puppy Pokémon, please!

In the reveal trailer, the hosts mentioned that they want to make a game for both longtime fans and newcomers alike. And with the hardware strength of the Nintendo Switch, it would probably be simple to implement a few options that cater to adult gamers.

Generations 6 and 7 have been criticized for their low difficulty in an attempt to attract newer and younger fans, so a selection of difficulty modes would be a welcome shake-up from the usual formula. Perhaps there could also be options to limit the amount of usable healing items or enforce self-imposed challenges like Nuzlocke runs. This is probably the least likely of our predictions, but we’ve still got our fingers crossed.

Even though it’s nowhere near as popular as when it first exploded onto the scene in the summer of 2016, Pokémon Go is still going strong. We’d love to see real-world events in the UK that correspond to their locations in Galar, such as a gym leader challenge or a super rare Pokémon encounter.

If it’s possible with the hardware, we’d also be thrilled to be able to import our player characters from the generation 6 and 7 games as optional encounters for our generation 8 trainer to face in an endgame Battle Tower-esque scenario. Or maybe Lillie and Gladion have made their way to the Galar region to train! Honestly, any returning characters are bound to make us smile.

In real life, France and the UK have a richly intertwined history that dates back thousands of years. The Japan-based regions like Kanto and Johto have clearly affected each other over time, so it isn’t too far of a stretch to say that Kalos may make an appearance in the lore of Galar, or could potentially be an accessible second region after the Pokémon League.

Melmetal, a generation 8 Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Go, has a Pokédex entry that states that it was last seen 3000 years ago. Could this be referring to the ancient Kalos war that took place 3000 years ago? Pokémon forums are abuzz with theories about the potential connections.