Welcome back to Rime City! Detective Pikachu is returning in an all-new adventure – and it all starts with Pokémon Friendship Week.
One person is nowhere to be found in the trailers, though, and that’s everyone’s favorite Pokémon detective, Ryan Reynolds – but there’s a good explanation for that.
This was not a trailer for Detective Pikachu Returns the movie – it was for Detective Pikachu Returns the game.
If you came here hoping for news on the movie, don’t let this damper your excitement – this has excellent implications regarding the long-awaited sequel to the Justice Smith-led film. The game’s release could lead to news about the sequel; that is the hope right now.
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Detective Pikachu is the game that was first released in Japan in 2016 and worldwide in 2018. Unlike other Pokémon games, this was not an RPG centered around turn-based battles; this was a narrative-driven adventure game with a story inspired by the types of tales often told in the Pokémon anime.
The story centers around a talking Pikachu with partial amnesia, who happens to be a detective. This Pikachu makes an unexpected connection with his missing (human) partner’s son, Tim Goodman, and together they Rime City, meeting characters and looking for clues that might explain the disappearance of Detective Harry Goodman.
The first Detective Pikachu game ends on a cliffhanger – we see Pikachu make a decision and be put to sleep by Mewtwo, only to set out on his mission again the next day. A sequel game was announced shortly afterward – but those who have seen the movie may already know what happens.
Detective Pikachu the movie came out in 2019, starring Justice Smith as Tim Goodman and Ryan Reynolds as the sparky detective himself. The film received resounding acclaim, especially since it was the first-ever attempt to place real human actors and CGI Pokémon together on the silver screen.

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A sequel to Detective Pikachu was announced, with a screenwriter secured, three months before the first one even came out – however, by 2021, fans were disappointed to hear from Justice Smith that it looked like the sequel had been shelved.
He told Inverse in 2021 that “I think we have to just kind of bury our hopes. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Get your shovels, kids, because the Detective Pikachu Returns could set a few things in motion.
Just a few months ago, in early March, it was confirmed that a director had been secured for the project – Portlandia creator Jonathan Krisel.
It’s possible that the sequel film was delayed simply because the game wasn’t out yet. The first movie follows the story of the game almost to the letter – and then extends past it, revealing even more than the Detective Pikachu game ever did and coming to a conclusive and satisfying end.

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There’s no telling if the game will follow the same plot when it picks up, but one thing is for sure: The ending of that movie was not enough story to fill a whole game with.
No matter what, there will be an all-new story between Tim and Pikachu, and we’re willing to bet the movie was delayed because they didn’t want to race too far ahead of the games’ plots.
The sequel movie is still a long way out – the most generous of guesses don’t place a theatrical release until sometime in 2025 – but eager fans who want to know what happens next can now play the new Detective Pikachu Returns game to find out.
Or, at least, they’ll be able to on October 6, when it officially releases on the Nintendo Switch.
Are you excited for the new Detective Pikachu Returns game? What about the movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below.