Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield Were Announced During Today’s Pokemon Direct!

Today, the Nintendo of America YouTube channel aired a Pokemon Direct that revealed the long-awaited 2019 Core RPG Pokemon title for Nintendo Switch. Unsurprisingly, there were two Core RPG Pokemon titles developed for the system which are being called, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield.

These games represent the 8th Pokemon generation and both will release later this year. The Official Pokemon YouTube channel also uploaded the trailer for the titles for those who only wanted to see them in action. To watch the trailer, click here.

The game’s region is called Galar whose appearance resembles that of Britain. Not only did we get to see the game’s region and playable protagonists’ appearance, but The Pokemon Company also revealed this region’s starters. According to the trailer, we have a new fire type rabbit Pokemon called Scorbunny, a timid water lizard Pokemon called Sobble, and grass chimp Pokemon named Grookey.

As for Pokemon Sword’s and Pokemon Shield’s game-play, it appears we won’t be seeing Pokemon frolic along the over-world like in Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee. Instead, it seems GameFreak wishes to go back to the random encounter formula as the trailer shows the female trainer walking in the ‘tall grass’–leading into a battle with a wild Pikachu.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield’s director is Shigeru Ohmori. He’s known for working on the previous generation titles like Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon and Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire–according to Gamespot.com. Outside of this game’s reveal, The Pokemon Company teased in the direct that Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield aren’t only titles they have planned to release this year.

Whether those projects are more mobile games or spin-off titles like PokePark, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, or Pokemon Rumble–is up for speculation. No details other than a teaser statement from Pokemon CEO and president, Tsunekazu Ishihara, were given.

Based on a plethora of fan feedback from the games’ trailer, it seems to lean heavily on the positive spectrum. The games’ look terrific and I hope The Pokemon Company makes sure to keep the Galar Region’s lore behind closed doors. As always, be sure to keep up to date with all our content, as we will cover news about these titles when new information’s released.

What do you think about this news? Will you be picking up Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield separately, or are you cashing in to get both? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us for more Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield news, and everything gaming too.