The Pokémon Company concluded today’s Pokémon Presents by announcing the 9th generation Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games for the Nintendo Switch, which will release worldwide with a release date in late 2022. The new Pokémon game officially introduces players to a brand new region and serves as the launch of a new generation of Pokémon games.
With a live stream semi-trailer, the studio took many by surprise by showing the next generation of major Pokémon games. Looks like you won’t have to wait too long for new Pokémon games to release, with the live-action semi-trailer revealing a worldwide release date of late 2022.
However, no new Pokémon has been revealed other than the launch, but since the next-gen game is the official new Pokemon Gen 9 entry, fans can expect the new Pokemon to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. More Pokémon are likely to appear in the coming months, so stay tuned. A number of Pokémon from past generations have been shown, including some relatively obscure Pokemon.
We just know that it will take place in a new region and will feature a new starter Pokémon. Beyond expectations, little was revealed other than confirmation that the new Pokemon installment will be an “open-world adventure,” likely not dissimilar to subsequent Pokemon titles. The news will bring some relief to some Pokémon fans, as there has been little information on the second Detective Pikachu film since it was announced three years ago.
The two new games, named Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, will continue the tradition of releasing multiple titles within the franchise. As the first steps in Gen 9, these new games will introduce a whole new world of Pokémon this time around. With two brand new games, the Pokemon series takes a new evolutionary step, allowing you to freely explore a rich open world. More freehand exploration and incredibly cool environments help with this freshness, as it looks like the Pokemon franchise is finally revving up for the first time in what seems like an eternity. Overall, it looks like Pokemon is finally more in line with what we would get in any other RPG series. Keeping the traditional theme of fire, water, and grass, the new design is unlike anything we’ve seen before on starter Pokémon.
Of course, we also saw three new starter Pokémon, a grass-type kitten, a fire-type crocodile, and a water-type duck with a fun hat. Starter Pokémon will be Sprigatito, a Grass Cat Pokémon that is temperamental and seeking attention, Fuekoko, a Fire Crocodile Pokémon that is relaxed, and Quaxley, a Duckling Pokémon that is serious and neat.
Their starters were shown in a static portrait during the dramatic trailer. Luckily, Game Freak was kind enough to show their newbies to give players some food for thought. To the potential disappointment of some fans, the Pokemon series will stick with starters, but what their secondary type will remain to be seen. As one of the main characters, trainers will jump into the world of Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet to start their adventure. We’ll be sure to let you know when more information becomes available, but until then, you can watch the Pokemon Presents stream and the final game announcement above.
