Pokemon Scarlet and Violet dropping late 2022 with Gen 9

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have been announced as part of today's surprise Pokemon Direct, along with the first three Gen 9 Pokemon. The trio don't yet have names, but we're loving the duck in the Mario-esque hat.

The Gen 9 starter Pokemon from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet — (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Capping off today's direct, the duo of games was revealed for a late 2022 drop on Nintendo Switch, and it looks to be offering a very similar open-world structure to January's Pokemon Legends Arceus.

According to the YouTube description it seems it might actually be truly open-world too, as it mentions that phrase twice:

"Welcome to the open world of Pokémon. Embark on an open-world adventure in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, arriving on Nintendo Switch in late 2022."

However, unlike the early timeline slot for Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will offer a more modern storyline, complete with cities to accompany the more open, countryside areas.

We got hints of what the world will look like, with the city area filled with color and flowers, with windmills adorning a hillside. It doesn't look to be a Pokemon region that we've seen before, so expect a brand new locale alongside those Gen 9 critters.

By the looks of some of the buildings in the teaser footage, it could well be an area that's based on Spain, as the church in the city definitely has a Sagrada Familia vibe to it.

A city in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet — (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

It's also certainly got a Mediterranean feel to some of the buildings too.

A home in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet — (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Many were convinced today's Direct would be used to reveal the next generation of Pokemon - as it's now been three years since Pokemon Sword and Shield, which debuted Gen 8. Turns out Game Freak is true to their three-year cycle and didn't disappoint today.

For now, there's the first major update for Pokemon Legends Arceus dropping today, Software Update ver 1.1.0 aka Daybreak.

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