Nintendo has announced the next line of Pokémon games – Scarlet and Violet. And in surprising news, they’re set for release later this year!
Announced during February’s Pokémon Presents, Scarlet and Violet will introduce the ninth Generation of Pokémon. There are three new starters and a whole new region to explore across an open-world map. Game Freak are the developers once again, after the wildly successful Pokémon Legends: Arceus that was released in January.
Nintendo is framing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as a big advancement in the Pokémon series. The games will be “a new evolutionary step” that will allow you to “explore freely in a richly expressed open world.” Exciting times!
You almost get that with Arceus, however, there are limitations with each area having a border. In Scarlet and Violet, towns will “blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders”, and you’ll get to “see the Pokémon of this region in the skies, in the seas, in the forests, on the streets.”
The game’s three starter Pokémon are:
- Grass Type: Cat Sprigatito, who has the Overgrow ability and is described as capricious and attention-seeking.
- Water Type: Duckling Quaxly, which Nintendo says is earnest and has the Torrent ability.
- Fire Type: Croc Fuecoco who’s laid back and has the Blaze ability.
As is tradition with the Pokémon video games, Scarlet and Violet will be largely identical. Although the outfit of your Trainer will change depending on which game you’re playing. There’ll also be some Pokémon only available on one or the other.
Check out the announcement trailer:
