After all these years, Pokémon has maintained its spot as being not only one of the highest selling game franchises of all time, but one of the most powerful brands ever since it hit shelves in the late 90s. For more than 20 years, Pokémon has had an everlasting impact on kids and adults alike, and now Game Freak; the series’ creator, is ready to continue the lineage.

During E3 of 2017, Pokémon fans were assured of a title on the Nintendo Switch during the later half of 2019, but for over a year and a half, that was all the news fans had on the game’s development. Much speculation occured in early February 2019 that Game Freak was going to drop the news on the 8th generation of Pokémon to fans on National Pokémon Day. Many agreed and many doubted, but on February 26th, the day before Pokémon Day, Nintendo of America tweeted that the following day would hold a 7 minute Nintendo Direct showcasing the up and coming Pokémon games.

It was that morning that Pokémon Sword and Pokemon Shield were officially showed off to the world, presented by the higher ups at Game Freak. The 8th generation is set in the Galar region of the Pokémon World, which is said to be loosely based off of the real world London and Scotland. Along with some short gameplay snippets, the traditional starter Pokémon were also revealed. The new starters include the grass monkey Grookey, the fire rabbit Scorbunny and the water lizard Sobble. Each of these Pokémon have the same amount of charm and uniqueness as the rest of the starters throughout the years, making them feel more at home than ever.

The Galar region is an expansive and vibrant region, which is truly brought out by the power of the Nintendo Switch. Also, this is the first main series Pokémon generation to ever be released on home console. There has been a multitude of Pokémon spin-offs on the N64, Gamecube, Wii and Wii U, but Sword and Shield mark the series’ first true release on home console. With the newfound power within the Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Sword and Shield are bound to be a truly enlightening experience for veteran and new Pokémon fans alike. With a release date of Holiday 2019, fans across the world have their calendars marked for a truly revolutionary day in the series’ history.