Nintendo and Game Freak's long-awaited
Pokémon Sword and
Pokémon Shield were finally revealed during a special Pokémon Direct that was streamed late in February, and fans of the long-running Pocket Monster series finally got their first look at the new starter
Pokémon and the new Galar region.
With all the footage we got to see from
Pokémon Sword & Shield, it seemed like the game could finally be offering a brand-new experience now that it was being released on a home console and not a handheld; although the Switch is both, Nintendo has mainly made home console games that can be played on-the-go.
As it turns out, Nintendo is actually focusing on delivering more of a handheld experience, with Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, than fans of the series were expecting — as revealed by Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa on this Nintendo's Financial Results Briefing for this fiscal year.
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These new titles, first announced in a Pokémon Direct in February, have generated a huge response from consumers. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, which were released in November of last year, are designed to highlight the fun of Nintendo Switch in TV mode, for example by waving the controller at the TV screen to capture Pokémon."
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Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are being developed to emphasize the fun of playing Nintendo Switch in handheld mode. We want these games to be played not only by longtime Pokémon fans, but also by consumers whose first encounter with the series was on a dedicated video game platform with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’'s Go, Eevee!."
While it may not be reinventing the wheel, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield seems like it will still be keeping all of the elements of the series intact; adding new Pokémon, as expected, and upgrading the graphics. Hopefully the changes made to cater to the newcomers aren't as divisive as the changes made to Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee!; changes that "watered-down" the series' Pokémon-capturing mechanic.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be set in Galar, an expansive region with many environments—idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forests, and craggy, snow-covered mountains. The people and Pokémon live together in this region, and they’ve worked together to develop the industries here.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be available for the Nintendo Switch in 2019.