The newest pair of Pokémon games were announced today on a special livestream, marking the start of the eighth (!) generation of the franchise. Pokémon Sword and Shield, the first mainline titles to be released for the Nintendo Switch after the spin-offs Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee last Autumn, are set to take place in the newly-unveiled Galar Region, which seems to derive inspiration from merry old England.
The game trailer, running at two minutes long, showed off new graphics and the return of key features of the franchise, such as the wild Pokémon battle and capture system, and themed Gym Leaders to battle. We also got our first look at the eighth generation of the titular Pocket Monsters in the form of our starter trio – the Grass-type Grookey, a monkey-esque Pokémon, the Fire-type Scorbunny, a rabbit, and the Water-type Sobble, an amphibian of some kind.
The games are set to release worldwide in late 2019, which fits within the release window of the previous four years of titles right back to Sun and Moon.
Catch the trailer here:
