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New Pokémon Titles Announced

by Alex Fuller · Published February 26, 2021 · Updated February 27, 2021

During a special Pokémon Presents video, The Pokémon Company unveiled some new Pokémon titles for Nintendo Switch. The first titles are Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, remakes of the fourth-generation titles Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which were released for Nintendo DS in Japan in 2006 and in the west in 2007. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are being created by developer ILCA in partnership with Game Freak and will be released worldwide in late 2021.

The Pokémon Company also announced Pokémon Legends Arceus. The game offers a new approach for the series, being set in the Sinnoh region’s past and featuring an open, full-3D world. The game sees players venturing out from the village base to create the region’s first Pokédex. It features three starters from different regions — Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott — brought to Sinnoh by a professor.

Pokémon Legends Arceus will introduce new gameplay elements. To catch Pokémon, players will need to study the Pokémon’s behaviour and sneak close enough to throw a Poké Ball. Wild Pokémon battles can be initiated by throwing the Poké Ball containing a partner Pokémon near to the targeted Pokémon. Mythical Pokémon Arceus will play an important role in the story, but further details were not revealed. Pokémon Legends Arceus is being developed by Game Freak and is set to launch worldwide in 2022.

In addition to the new titles, The Pokémon Company provided a video celebrating the series’ 25th anniversary in Japan on February 27, 2021. It also provided a new trailer for the upcoming New Pokémon Snap — a photography-based game that launches for Nintendo Switch on April 30, 2021 — and revealed some special events coming to a number of titles to celebrate the anniversary.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Media