Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield Announced!

Nintendo officially announced the next generation of Pokemon games today, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. Announced during a specific Pokemon only Direct, the games are slated for release in late 2019, just in time for the holidays.

While this isn’t the first Pokemon game to make its way to the Nintendo Switch, that title belongs to Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield will be the first mainline games to come to the platform. The Let’s Go games combined the popular mobile game, Pokemon Go, with Pokemon Yellow. This new generation is the game Pokemon fans have been asking for since the Switch launched back in 2017.

As per usual, there will be two titles released, but there has not been much stated as far as differences. Typically, the two titles include game specific Pokemon, and you will need both games or a friend to trade with to catch them all. The game will take place in the Galar region, a brand new location for the series, and appears to be based off of the UK. Nintendo has promised “idyllic countryside and contemporary cities — vast plains and snow-covered mountains.” It appears that this will be a very varied experience, and will bring a new dimension to the series.

Nintendo also announced which three new Pokemon will be the starters for this iteration. There is the fire-based Scorbunny, the water-based Sobble, and the grass-based Grookey. These are all brand new, never before seen Pokemon, and it’ll be interesting to see what other new Pokemon Nintendo plans to introduce.

February 27th is International Pokemon Day, the day that the original Pokemon Red and Blue games were released, so it makes perfect sense to debut your next new title on International Pokemon Day. The timing also coincides with the incredible new trailer for Detective Pikachu that premiered this week. This is looking like it could be an incredible experience for new and old Pokemon fans alike, and I’m anxiously awaiting more news on it. In the meantime, check out the trailer below and let us know what you think! Are you excited for Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield?