During today's Pokemon Presents, which just so happened to be on Pokemon Day, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo announced the next generation in the Pokemon series: Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. While this looks like a simple return to the standard Pokemon formula, there is one important distinction that was made on the game's official website: Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet will be open-world.
During the leadup to Pokemon Day, various Pokemon titles like Pokemon Unite, Pokemon Masters EX, and Pokemon Sword and Shield, received updates or new content as part of the celebration of the series' history. Due to these games getting announcements prior to the Pokemon Presents showcase, some speculated that there might be potentially something big in the Sunday video.
While Pokemon Legends: Arceus toyed with the idea of an open-world Pokemon game, and fans did initially think that's what the game was going to be, it turned out that Pokemon Legends: Arceus was not a true open-world Pokemon game. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet released a three-minute video showcasing its world, and Pokemon were shown wandering around. However, The Pokemon Company did not clarify if the game was open-world or not, leading to some online thinking that it was going to be more like Pokemon Sword and Shield's Wild Area. The open-world confirmation is clarified on the game's official website.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet's website is full of information right out of the gate. The new starter Pokemon players will be able to choose from are already listed, and the playable character designs are also available for players to check out. Gamers can also check out screenshots of the game to take a look at some environments they will be exploring when the game releases later this year.
Some gamers were disappointed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus was not a true open-world game. This has left some gamers thinking the next mainline games were going to seriously disappoint if there wasn't a big change. Having a proper open world should reassure players of the future of the Pokemon series moving forward.
Getting a new pair of mainline games in the same year as Pokemon Legends: Arceus might be overkill for some, but the concept of a true open-world Pokemon should be an enticing feature for gamers. More of these games will need to be shown to truly convince players, but given Pokemon Legends: Arceus' reception from the millions of gamers who are playing through it already, it should be some solid proof that Game Freak is looking to please some of the more vocal fans.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will release in Late 2022 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.