Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gives you an open world not "dictated by the story"

A few more details about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have been confirmed following today's new trailer, including its non-linear open world and four-player co-op option.

On the official site, the devs describe this as an "open-world experience" which "you’re free to explore at your leisure and not in an order dictated by the story." Exactly how that will work is unclear for now, but we do see Pokemon of disparate levels battling in the trailer, so it seems the games will keep their traditional progression systems.

Pokemon has been pushing closer to a full open world over the last few series entries, as Sword and Shield offered larger 3D areas to explore and Legends: Arceus introduced a bit more freedom in how you tackle objectives, though both ultimately stuck to linear story progression.

Scarlet and Violet will also allow full multiplayer for up to four players. You can trade and battle with your fellows as always, but you can also "explore the various locations of the region in these games with other players." We see a host of different face, hair, and skin tone options for player characters in the trailer, though the color of your outfit appears to be determined by whether you're playing Scarlet or Violet.

If you missed the trailer - or you want to know what you missed in the trailer - check out our breakdown here. We've also got our first look at the Scarlet and Violet Legendary Pokemon.

The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release date is set for November 12.

Game Freak co-founder Junichi Masuda has left for a senior role at The Pokemon Company.