Pokémon Scarlet and Violet out November 18th with four-player co-op, new Pokémon and more

by Oliver BrandtJune 1, 2022

The Pokémon Company just dropped a bombshell of a new trailer for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, showing off tonnes of new features, characters, and a release date.

The first big change from previous generations is the introduction of two new professors — one for each game. Scarlet players will get to hang out with Professor Sada, while Violet players will get to meet the incredibly handsome Professor Turo, both of whom we’re sure are already the subject of mountains of fan art. We were also introduced to the player’s friend and rival, Nemona, who wears a mysterious glove on her right hand… who knows what that’s about.

Of course, there’s also a bunch of new Pokémon to look at, with three adorable new friends revealed alongside the box legendaries. Those are the electric-type mouse Pokémon Pawmi, the grass/normal-type olive Pokémon Smoliv, and the immediate fan favourite normal-type hog Pokémon Lechonk. Yes, its name is Lechonk, and it’s amazing.

Those box legends I mentioned are pretty interesting too, with fascinating designs quite unlike anything else in the series to date. Scarlet players will encounter the mysterious, regal Koraidon, while Violet players will go face-to-face with Miraidon, a futuristic electrical dragon with massive jets for legs. Weird, but cool!

Perhaps the most interesting reveal of the trailer, however, was the announcement of four-player online multiplayer. That’s four players, in the same world, at the same time, interacting with the world at large — not the multiplayer-lite found in Sword and Shield’s Wild Area. It’s not currently known if the entire game world can be played multiplayer like this, though The Pokémon Company is at pains to remind you this is a fully open world game on its website, where the following description of its multiplayer is also present:

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet allow multiplayer gameplay with up to four players. Along with series staples, such as trading and battling Pokémon, you will be able to explore the various locations of the region in these games with other players. You can discover new Pokémon and explore unfamiliar areas with your friends and family, opening the door to an adventure more precious and fun than ever!

And of course, we come to the release date. To nobody’s surprise, it’ll be releasing quite late in the year, right around the time most people will be buying holiday gifts. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are scheduled to launch on the 18th of November this year, and you can “preorder” the games on the eShop right now. We imagine it won’t take long for retailers to open preorders up, too.

Preorder Pokémon Scarlet here, Pokémon Violet here.