The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet reveal was nearly delayed due to the war in Ukraine

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“We wish to be sensitive to major world events"

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Last week's Pokémon Scarlet & Violet reveal very nearly didn't happen.

In a statement (via NintendoLife), The Pokémon Company said that it wanted to delay the announcement of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet due to "major world events happening at this time and those impacted". They sought to postpone the event as they felt that announcing new games while Russia is currently waging war on Ukraine could come across as insensitive on their part.

In the statement, the company explained that the Pokémon Presents presentation, which unveiled the new Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, was pre-scheduled, and therefore, it was unable to postpone it. With no choice but to have the event go ahead, they instead decided to substantially scale back its promotion "out of respect to our global audiences".

"We wish to be sensitive to major world events happening at this time and those impacted. A pre-scheduled Pokémon Presents was unable to be postponed. Out of respect to our global audiences, we decided to significantly reduce the promotion of the event while giving fans the option to tune if they chose to do so."

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company aren't the only games companies showing solidarity with Ukraine during this time. Necrosoft Games, an indie studio, is putting together a bundle of games to benefit charities for Ukrainians.

We've also spoken with dozens of development teams in recent weeks to learn more about what it's like for game developers in Ukraine, working and living under the shadow of war.

Anne-Marie Coyle
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and Games Radar. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.