Pokemon Gen 8 revealed: Pokemon Sword and Shield coming in late 2019

Paul Cotton

After years of speculation, Pokemon Gen 8 has finally been revealed. In a special Pokemon Direct, Nintendo revealed Pokemon Sword and Shield, announced when they would be released and the three Starter Pokemon.

What is Pokemon Sword Shield?

As ever, Nintendo will launch a new generation of Pokemon games with the release of two games. They are called Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield.

The meaning behind the names remains a mystery, It had been rumoured that there would be a royal theme to the name, with Pokemon King and Queen being touted as a potential title.

That could point to the game being set in Britain, and certainly some of the scenery that was showed off in Pokemon Direct looked like it could be inspired by the UK. In the past Pokemon games have been based in locations based on Japan, Paris and New York City.

Pokemon Sword and Shield release date

While Nintendo stopped short of confirming an exact Pokemon Sword and Shield release date, we do know that the two games are coming to Nintendo Switch in late 2019.

Expect to hear more release date news in a future presentation.

Scorbunny, Sobble and Grookey (left to right) are the Pokemon Sword and Shield starter Pokemon…

Who are the Pokemon Sword and Shield Starter Pokemon?

We got our first glimpse of the Starter Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield, although Nintendo didn’t reveal many details about them.

The first to appear was the chimp Pokemon, Grookey. As is traditional in Pokemon games, the grass-type is the first of the starter Pokemon.

This tradition continued with the announcement of the rabbit Pokemon, Scorbunny. The fire-type seemed energetic in nature and left scorch marks from where it stood.

Finally, the water-type starter Sobble, was second to appear. Dubbed a water lizard, it seemed very passive and was easily startled by the nearby Grookey.

When will more Pokemon Sword Shield details be released?

The Pokemon Direct presentation was short and sweet. It left a lot to the imagination, with plenty of scope for future reveals.

More information about Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield will likely be coming in the following months.

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