Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Revealed as Gen 9, Land in 2022 Worldwide

The Pokémon Company has ended today’s Pokémon Presents by announcing Gen 9 games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for Nintendo Switch, which will launch worldwide with a release date in late 2022. The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet announcement trailer begins with a slow, live-action build-up where a security guard is investigating a mysterious room. It’s probably packed with Easter eggs for the game that fans will now go second by second to examine, but to the untrained eye — it’s just a room.

The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet announcement trailer then segues into a series of sweeping shots of new locations featuring familiar Pokémon. This is notably and outright described as an open-world adventure. Nonetheless, graphically it doesn’t look much better than Pokémon Sword and Shield or Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and it still seems like Game Freak is banking on its gameplay and the fact that you don’t need to sell kids on Pokémon with shiny, improved graphics. In any case, the trailer concludes by revealing the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet starter Pokémon, who are now officially named Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly, and we have included an image of them below.

Behold the adorable starter Pokémon, fitting into the usual pattern of grass, fire, and water. Now is the time to start thinking about which starter Pokémon you would like to use ahead of the Gen 9 games’ late 2022 release date on Nintendo Switch, and check out more details that have since been revealed about them. Also, don’t miss out on the major Pokémon Legends: Arceus Daybreak update out today.