Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for a new generation of Pokémon. About time, too: Pokémon X and Y came out in 2013, so it’s been a while since we’ve gotten a new game in the main series.
While the logos for the new Pokemon games leaked yesterday, we actually got to see a second or two of concept art during today’s Pokémon Direct. You can see it above in the top GIF, or near the end of the trailer, which spends 99% of its runtime reminding you that it’s Pokémon’s 20th anniversary. Honestly, despite all that legacy hype leading up to the announcement in this trailer, we don’t actually get to see much that’s new here.
You can’t even tell where the next locale is, though you can make out a Blastoise riding in a damn fire truck, along with what appears to be a Machamp in the back of another truck. This is the bulk of what we know about the new games, hilariously enough: Pokémon Sun and Moon will have many different varieties of trucks.
The Pokecenters appear to have a new look as well:
It’s also kind of cool to see how they actually make Pokémon designs in this footage. Could this be whatever bird Pokémon players can catch at the start of the game—the new Pidgey, if you will?
According to The Pokémon Company, Pokémon Sun and Moon will be out later this year for the holidays, and they will release worldwide in nine different languages. Awesome, though I am kind of bummed we’re apparently not getting a Pokémon Z. Sorry, Zygarde.
We are, however, getting a re-release of Pokémon Red and Blue tomorrow, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pokémon. The timing here is important, as having the ability to play the older games on newer hardware means players will be able to upload those critters to Pokémon Bank. Here’s how it’ll work, according to The Pokémon Company.
This online storage application will make it possible for fans to move Pokémon wirelessly from Pokémon Red Version, Pokémon Blue Version and Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition, which come to the Virtual Console on Nintendo 3DS on February 27, to Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. Pokémon from Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, and Pokémon Y can also be transferred to Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon through Pokémon Bank