The Big Pokémon Scarlet And Violet DLC Clue Hidden In Plain Sight
The first two major DLC for "Pokémon Scarlet" and "Violet" have recently been announced. "The Teal Mask" is slated to come out in Fall 2023, with "The Indigo Disk" following in the Winter. Downloadable expansions had always been planned for the game, but fans recently discovered that there was actually an extremely subtle hint hidden in the base-game about the upcoming DLC's title.
This isn't completely unheard of. The "Pokémon" franchise has hidden a surprising number of Easter eggs in its games over the years. Some of these are simple callbacks to things from past titles in the franchise, while others actually contain clues about Game Freak's upcoming projects. It was only after "Pokémon Scarlet" and "Violet" were announced that fans realized that a grape and orange wallpaper tucked away in one of the hotels in "Sword" and "Shield" might have been a hint about the next-gen "Pokémon" games. These are generally far too abstract and well hidden for fans to associate them until after the new project has been revealed to the public.
Now it seems that gamers have found a similar hint hidden in "Scarlet" and "Violet." There is a poster that can be seen affixed to the outside of the Treasure Eatery in Medali. It's easy to miss while playing the game, but it's now apparent that this poster is actually advertising the upcoming DLC title, as it bears three discrete images of teal masks.
The mask was hidden in plain sight
Twitter user @soulsilverart has a reputation for posting popular "Pokémon" leaks and speculation theories. They recently posted a tweet featuring several images of the "Teal Mask" poster. They also thanked @lumiosepost, crediting them with the initial discovery. @soulsilverart then joked in a sub-tweet that they now needed to go back through the game and check all the other posters to make sure there weren't any other hints that might have been overlooked.
THERE WAS A POSTER TO THE TEAL MASK IN SV THE WHOLE TIME! RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR FACES! Big thanks to @lumiosepost sending this to me! #PokemonScarletViolet #pokemon #PokemonScarletVioletEX @aDrive_tK @RuffledRowlit @3clipse_tt @HDvee @dustygogoat @MelkorPxP @KeliosFR… https://t.co/LsSlzqTCqU pic.twitter.com/KYtFEkNeBW
— SoulSilverArt (@soulsilverart) March 1, 2023
Fans in the replies seemed to be equally flabbergasted by this new revelation. @GatorEXP wrote, "Can't believe these three were staring us in the face the whole time." Some questioned whether these posters had been in the game the whole time, or if they had been added in a recent update, but user @GMGamr stated "I can't tell you how many times I stared at this and tried to figure out what [Pokémon] it was supposed to be. Makes sense now why I couldn't figure it out lol."
Other fans thought the poster might just be the tip of the iceberg though.
The Treasure Eatery might be a hint
Some fans have speculated that it's possible the location of the posters is significant as well. One pointed out that they were specifically found on the Treasure Eatery. This is where players can battle the Normal-Type gym leader Larry after solving his secret menu puzzle in "Scarlet" and "Violet." But it could be that Game Freak placing the posters on this specific restaurant might not be a coincidence, but rather another hint about the DLC. The name of the eatery seems particularly significant since Game Freak's page for the expansions advertise that fans will be able to "discover the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero."
"If it's a clue at something the possibilities are pretty exciting," @fkn_neato wrote. "Either it has to do with the story of the dlc, hints at the turtle possibly being able to change its tera type [or] maybe even an easier way to change the tera type of our other mons."
Of course, there's no way to verify any of this until "The Teal Mask" is released in the Fall. Either way, it seems that the studio has once again done an excellent job of keeping its prophetic hints a secret until the titles have been officially announced.