Huge Announcements Revealed for PokÃ©mon in Tokyo!

The PokÃ©mon Company has just revealed a bunch of exciting news at a press conference in Tokyo. The surprise-filled event was hosted by president Tsunekazu Ishihara, with contributions from numerous game developers, including Game Freak directors Shigeru Ohmori and Junichi Masuda, and Niantic representative Tatsuo Nomura.

PokÃ©mon Quest.

After opening remarks, Mr. Ohmori came on stage to introduce PokÃ©mon Quest, a free-to-start game for the Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms, developed by Game Freak. PokÃ©mon Quest features a distinct graphic style and a new style of gameplayâ€”unlike any we’ve seen in the PokÃ©mon universe. But the portable-friendly adventure looks intuitive enough to play casually or on-the-go. And perhaps the biggest PokÃ©mon Quest news: it’s available for download on Nintendo Switch today! Get going on your PokÃ©mon Quest adventure with our handy starter guide. Look forward to the mobile version coming to the App Store and Google Play in late June.

PokÃ©mon Let’s Go, Eevee! And PokÃ©mon Let’s Go, Pikachu!

Then it was Mr. Masuda’s turn to present PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, also for the Nintendo Switch. These two titles introduce a new play style that anyone can jump in and enjoy, with plenty of fun adventure and PokÃ©mon for all fans. The games are based on PokÃ©mon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, which first launched in Japan in 1998. Much has changed since then, and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee! include many new modern game elements that a wide range of fans can appreciate. The games bring the intuitiveness of catching PokÃ©mon that we’ve seen in PokÃ©mon GO to a familiar PokÃ©mon adventure, enhanced by an updated graphic style. These titles are the first that Mr. Masuda is directing himself since PokÃ©mon X and PokÃ©mon Y.

In PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!, the famous Pikachu will travel alongside the main character. And in PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, the adorable Eevee will be your partner. Your partner PokÃ©mon doesn’t go back in its PokÃ© Ball when it’s not battling. Instead, it rests on your shoulder or your head, and occasionally wanders around to help you out.

The practice of catching PokÃ©mon will change dramatically from previous titles. Now you can use your Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con to toss a PokÃ© Ball at your target with one hand, either by pressing a button or just by flicking your wrist. With fewer buttons and intuitive action, it’s never been simpler.

PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee! also feature two-player simultaneous play. Each player uses one Joy-Con to explore together. When they cooperate on something, such as catching PokÃ©mon or challenging Trainer battles, the task becomes even easier.

To really capture the PokÃ©mon spirit of these titles, a new accessory was also unveiled at the show by Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi. The PokÃ© Ball Plus is a PokÃ© Ball-shaped controller that you can use to play PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee! instead of the Joy-Con. The PokÃ© Ball Plus is so much more than that, though. You can use it to carry around your partner PokÃ©monâ€”or any other one you catchâ€”in the real world when you’re not playing. Mr. Takahashi promised more details on the incentives for this feature down the road.

Mr. Nomura of Niantic took the stage next to expand even further on the deep connection between PokÃ©mon GO and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee! The Poke Ball Plus is fully compatible with PokÃ©mon GO, sharing the same features as the PokÃ©mon GO Plus. Also, PokÃ©mon originally discovered in the Kanto region that you have caught in PokÃ©mon GO can be brought into PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee! And Niantic CEO John Hanke promised via a video presentation that even more secrets about this connection functionality will be revealed soon. Mr. Hanke finished with one last surprise for fans: right now, Alolan Exeggutor is available to catch in PokÃ©mon GO.

PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, along with the PokÃ© Ball Plus, are scheduled to be released worldwide on November 16, 2018.

Finally! A Hint To The Future!

Finally, Mr. Masuda returned to the stage to give us a tease at the next major project in development. While PokÃ©mon Quest and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and PokÃ©mon: Let’s Go, Eevee! represent new and different play styles, he let fans know that a new PokÃ©mon core RPG, developed by GAME FREAK, is planned for launch on Nintendo Switch in late 2019!

We’ll be sure to have much more on all of these exciting games over the next several months, so keep checking the Pokemon website for all the latest news.