Pokemon Scarlet and Violet announced, starters revealed

The next generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, are on their way. At today’s Pokémon Presents event, The Pokémon Company revealed updates on a number of Pokémon titles. The final trailer showed the first glimpse at the ninth generation of Pokémon.

The trailer was a surprise to many, especially as it dropped so soon after Pokémon Legends: Arceus launched. Even more surprising is how soon they’re coming: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set to be released in late 2022.

See the announcement trailer below, courtesy of the official Pokémon YouTube channel:

What we know about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet so far

Though details are scarce for now, we can glean a few things from the announcement trailers. As many fans have pointed out, the world (which we don’t know the name of yet) is based on the Iberian Peninsula — Spain, specifically. Various locations take inspiration from Spanish architecture, and with the vast environments of Spain and Portugal, it makes for a natural setting for the series.

Following in the footsteps of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Scarlet and Violet are open-world adventures. You’ll be traveling through this vast new region exploring your surroundings and looking for Pokémon both new and old. It looks like the games are taking some inspiration from the gameplay of Arceus, though how much it’s taking from that game remains unclear for now.

We also got our first look at the new starter Pokémon. You have a choice between Grass-type Sprigatito, the Grass Cat Pokémon; Fire-type Feucoco, the Fire Croc Pokémon; and Water-type Quaxly, the Duckling Pokémon. See these Pokémon below:

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. The games will launch in late 2022 for Nintendo Switch.

Are you excited for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet? What’s your favorite of the three starters? Let us know!