Every new Pokemon entry adds monsters and features. For the details on the new additions, here is everything we know about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet so far.
Calling all Pokémon trainers, young and old — the ninth generation of this historic franchise is on the way and promises to be yet another step forward. The monster-catching series is as big as it has ever been, and since it came to the Nintendo Switch, the series has seen far more improvements from title to title compared to when they were limited to the hardware constraints of dedicated handheld consoles. This generation has already seen Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and the most ambitious of them all, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. However, it has been a long time since the last proper mainline game, but the wait may be over sooner rather than later.
Announced on Pokémon Day, where we got a special Pokémon presentation, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet were announced as the titles for the ninth-generation Pokémon games. As with every new generation, this pair of titles will release simultaneously, presumably having some differences between them that encourage multiplayer, a new roster of collectible monsters, and some tweaks to the gameplay to spice things up. As to the details on all those things and more, here is everything we know about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet so far.
It was a major shock to see Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet announced so soon after two other recent entries in the franchise: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Legends: Arceus. What was even more surprising was the release window given for this next major entry in the franchise. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet is currently set to launch November 18, 2022, making it the second title to be released this calendar year, and the third within a 12-month period.
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet will continue the series tradition of being released exclusively on Nintendo’s latest hardware, in this case, the Nintendo Switch. This series has never been released on anything else, not even PC, and there’s no reason to think this pair of versions will be any different. If you’re a Pokémon fan, though, odds are you already have a Switch ready and waiting.
Our first look at Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet comes from the announcement trailer shown off for Pokémon Day 2022. The trailer begins with a live-action section following a Japanese security officer patrolling a building at night. The tone is ominous and even a little creepy as something moves in the shadow, drawing his attention. He’s led down a long hallway to a door with a sign identifying it as the Game Freak offices. The music picks up, elevating the tense mood until he opens the door to a flash of bright light.
He looks around the cluttered room as a cup shakes, a book’s pages flip on their own, and other supernatural events kick off. Finally, the camera swoops into a TV, and we get a look at the game world itself.
The first glimpse of this new region, which is named Paldea, is mountainous, bright, and features a castle as the focus. We pan over lakes at sunset, moonlit forests, and misty city streets. Here, we get our first look at some wild Pokémon roaming the new landscapes, including some new and old favorites, and just a taste of Lucario using an attack. We get a lot of shots of what this new region’s architecture is like in sweeping views of castle spires, colorful plazas, and countryside homes with laundry drying in the breeze.
What looks to be our protagonist runs into the frame — a young boy who enters his house with a Nintendo Switch beside his TV. We match-cut to a real Switch in the office with the guard, who is greeted by a painting of three new Pokémon as the series’ iconic theme starts playing and the titles of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are revealed.
Based on the landscapes and architecture, many people speculate that this region, whatever it is to be called, will be based on Spain and Portugal. The focal point is what looks to be a recreation of Barcelona’s La Sagrada Familia. Every mainline Pokémon game’s region is based at least somewhat on a real-life location, so this lines up as an unexplored part of the world for the series to tackle.
Story-wise, nothing has been revealed just yet. Typically, Pokémon games have mostly formulaic plots involving some group of nefarious Pokémon trainers who are up to no good and who you must thwart while defeating all the gym leaders. This game may spice things up, but we’ll have to wait on that for now.
The three Pokémon we saw featured in the portrait at the end of the first trailer have been confirmed to be the new trio of starter Pokémon we will have to choose between in the beginning hours of our journey. These three are Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Quaxly, representing the fire, grass, and water types, respectively. The official website gives some insight into each of their personalities.
Sprigatito is described as a “capricious, attention-seeking Grass Cat Pokemon.” Fuecoco is a “laid-back Fire Pokémon that does things at its own pace.” And Quaxly is an “earnest and tidy Ducking Pokemon.”
A second trailer introduces us to some characters, including Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet‘s professors, Professor Sada and Professor Turo, each exclusive to one version of the game. Another new face, Nemona, asks if you are the trainer of the three starter Pokémon, perhaps implying that you won’t choose one but instead actually start with all three. She is described as a more experienced trainer who will be both a friend and guide on your adventure. After more gameplay, the trailer ends with shots of the two newest Legendary Pokémon, Koraidon and Miraidon, standing on cliffs, though nothing about them is known.
