Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be a "new evolutionary step" in the series

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be a "new evolutionary step" in the series, according to Nintendo. 

In a tweet promoting the recently announced game, Nintendo of America said: "A new evolutionary step in the Pokémon series, in Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet you’ll be able to freely explore a rich open world." 

Nintendo also gave us a crumb of information about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet by describing it as: "A world filled with towns & cities that blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders," before reminding eager fans of its "late 2022" release date. 

This tweet is obviously just to promote the upcoming game and doesn’t give us much to go off, but it’s still interesting that Nintendo is describing the game as a "new evolutionary step" in the series. 

Although it appears to be following the same formula as the Pokemon games that came before it (eg: Sword and Shield, Sun and Moon, etc.) we wouldn’t be surprised if Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take inspiration from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which released earlier this year. 

Both games were labeled as "open world" during the lead-up to their release. Those who have played Legends: Arceus will already know that that didn’t technically end up being the case. Instead of being truly open-world, Pokemon Legends: Arceus instead has open world segments, as later confirmed by The Pokemon Company a few months before the game’s release. 

As for Scarlet and Violet though, the two upcoming Pokemon games sound like they actually might be truly open world. The description below the trailer on YouTube reads: "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."

A new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer has been released, and it finally reveals the highly-anticipated game's release date!

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.