Yesterday’s Pokémon Presents offered a surprise reveal, confirming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for the Nintendo Switch. Launching in late 2022, this news came as a shock to many fans who didn’t expect to see Pokémon Gen 9 this early, considering Pokémon Legends: Arceus launched last month.
Releasing an announcement trailer, further information was later revealed via the official website. Similar to Legends: Arceus, Scarlet and Violet will be open-world games but featuring a modern setting, with Pokémon appearing everywhere from wild areas to towns.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Announced, Launches Late 2022
Here's the official description from Nintendo's website:
The Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games, the newest chapters in the Pokémon series, are coming to Nintendo Switch later this year. With these new titles, the Pokémon series takes a new evolutionary step, allowing you to explore freely in a richly expressed open world.
Various towns blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders. You’ll be able to see the Pokémon of this region in the skies, in the seas, in the forests, on the streets—all over! You’ll be able to experience the true joy of the Pokémon series—battling against wild Pokémon in order to catch them—now in an open-world game that players of any age can enjoy.
We also got our first look at the Scarlet and Violet starters. Like all mainline Pokémon games, Scarlet and Violet lets you choose between a grass-type (Sprigatito), a fire-type (Fuecoco), and a water-type (Quaxly). These are the only new Pokémon unveiled thus far, and we can expect to see new creatures later on this year.
Players have noticed improved visuals compared to Pokémon Sword and Shield and Legends: Arceus. That drew comparisons to New Pokémon Snap, which many fans believe is the best-looking game in the series so far.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release on Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022. We'll keep you informed with further Pokémon updates as we hear them.