A Nintendo Switch version of Pokemon Sun and Moon is reportedly in the works and could feature more creatures to collect than the 3DS versions of the game.

Undoubtedly, Pokemon Sun and Moon are the biggest Nintendo 3DS releases of the year. Nintendo has put massive support behind the games, including releasing Nintendo 3DS XL Pokemon Sun and Moon bundles. The company has also shipped 10 million copies of the games to retailers, which indicates just how big of a deal the new titles are.

However, while the latest Pokemon releases look set to be a massive hit on 3DS, the Nintendo handheld isn't the only platform that will get the games. According to a new report, Pokemon Sun and Moon are headed to the Nintendo Switch as well.

"Multiple sources" that have spoken to Eurogamer say that that Pokemon Sun and Moon are "well into development" for the Nintendo Switch. The Switch port is reportedly codenamed 'Pokemon Stars' and fans may have already gotten a glimpse of the title as a Pokemon Sun and Moon reveal teaser from earlier this year is said to have featured a HD model of Pikipek that came from the Switch version.

With Pokemon Sun and Moon setting pre-order records, the obvious question is 'why would people buy the game on Nintendo Switch if so many fans have already bought Sun and Moon on 3DS?' In addition to using "higher resolution assets" to recreate the same art style and map of Sun and Moon, Pokemon Stars may have "more creatures" to collect than the 3DS version (though not all of the publication's sources could confirm this). Moreover, Pokemon will be tradeable between each version via the Pokemon Bank app.

Unfortunately for Nintendo, which hopes to ship 2 million Nintendo Switch units within its first month on sale, Pokemon Stars isn't set to be a launch title. The game was initially pencilled in for summer 2017 but it has now been "pushed back" until later in the year. As the game could be a serious system seller, many will be disappointed not to be able to play it right off the bat, but a late 2017 release could give the Switch a sales boost right before Christmas.

It goes without saying that all of this information should be taken with a pinch of salt. But, with that said, the rumor does seem highly believable. Although Junichi Masuda (a founding member of Pokemon developer Game Freak) played coy about a Switch release when talking about the Pokemon franchise's future, he did seem to suggest that the company is at least thinking about other platforms for the series, making a release on the new Nintendo console all the more likely.

Source: Eurogamer