A LEGO Pokémon Game Could Incorporate Top Features from a Well-Loved Mod

Though it’s one of the most successful entertainment franchises ever, Pokémon hasn’t had an official LEGO set—until now. Last month, LEGO announced a collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to create new LEGO products inspired by the beloved series, set to launch in 2026. This partnership is anticipated to span several years, but aside from glimpses of a LEGO Pikachu in the promotional teaser, the full scope of this collaboration remains a mystery.

With Pokémon finally getting its own line of LEGO merchandise, it raises the intriguing possibility of The LEGO Group, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo collaborating on a LEGO Pokémon video game. While not every popular franchise that gets a LEGO set turns into a game—Sonic the Hedgehog and Minecraft, for example—the partnership makes the idea much more conceivable. Should this collaboration occur, drawing inspiration from the fan-made mod, Cobblemon, could prove beneficial.

Cobblemon might not be instantly recognizable to every gamer, but it has gained traction within the Minecraft modding community over recent years. Essentially, Cobblemon is an open-source mod that brings blocky, adorable Pokémon into the vast world of Minecraft, serving as a kind of spiritual successor to the now-defunct Pixelmon mod, which The Pokémon Company shuttered in 2017. While still under development, Cobblemon is already packed with content.

This mod includes over 700 different Pokémon you can catch. Just like the main games, players can engage their Pokémon in battles with both wild and trainer-owned creatures. Cobblemon’s battle mechanics leverage the Pokémon Showdown! engine, striving to mirror the franchise’s official titles. It even sprinkles in a few elements from Legends: Arceus, such as move relearning and optional evolutions. On top of that, Cobblemon peppers Minecraft with new structures, often containing treasure-filled chests laden with valuable loot.

Though not officially licensed, Cobblemon stands as the closest thing to a LEGO Pokémon video game. Its aesthetic fits perfectly with LEGO’s style due to its Minecraft roots, embracing the Pokémon capture and battle systems too. Much like LEGO sets, Cobblemon encourages creativity, allowing players to craft custom Pokémon designs with data packs. Minecraft itself has a LEGO-like vibe, but with Cobblemon, it morphs into an ideal framework for a LEGO Pokémon game.

However, a major roadblock could hinder the development of a LEGO Pokémon video game: Nintendo’s usual approach to utilizing outside properties. Over the years, Nintendo has shown little interest in crafting games based on non-Nintendo assets. This might explain why recognizable series like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing haven’t garnered LEGO video games even though they have physical sets. Given the massive appeal of both LEGO and Pokémon, a LEGO Pokémon game would likely be a massive hit. Hopefully, Nintendo and The LEGO Group can explore this potential and bring such a game to life.