As Nintendo unveils two brand new a little disappointing, there is no need to worry that this is it for Pikachu and pals for the foreseeable future as the company promises that another "core" title will hit the series in 2019.
With the Minecraft-esque Pokémon Quest and dual games Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! coming to the Switch, some gamers were rightly confused about what this and next year holds for the fan-favorite franchise. Thankfully, those cute Pocket Monsters are here to make everything clear and confirm that another RPG is heading to consoles.
Related: Pokémon Switch Details Leaked
Posting on Twitter, the official Pokémon reassured players that Let's Go is not part of the classic RPG franchise that started with Red and Blue in 1996 and most recently unveiled Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in 2017. After being teased as coming out "eventually," the next core Pokémon RPG is now penciled in for the second half of 2019.
Only last year, Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara promised that long-term Poké-developers Game Freak would bring a core RPG to the Switch at some point. In contrast, the Let's Go games are seen as expansions that once again head back to the early days of Pokémon and the familiar Kanto backdrop. Basically, think of them more as Snap, Stadium, and Detective Pikachu.
Let's Go attempts to bridge two worlds, heavily inspired by 1998's Pokémon Yellow and linking to mobile game Pokémon GO. Fans are still holding out hope that next year's game will unveil a whole new region to explore and the widely rumored eighth generation. Instead of hyping up the future of Pokémon, Nintendo's recent announcement was anything but clear and only fueled the various rumors of what is (and isn't) coming to the world of those ball-dwelling critters.
It seems like an eternity since a core RPG was rumored for the Switch, but as a move for the popular series, could prove to be one of the most lucrative Nintendo games out there alongside the likes of Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. There is still no word on whether the title will be exclusive for the Switch or will branch out onto a handheld system, but with Nintendo's next-gen console already combining the best of both worlds, there may be no need for a handheld release.
All will become much clearer at Nintendo's E3 presentation and it is expected that Nintendo will further distinguish the difference between Let's Go and the traditional RPG ideas of the company. For those already left unimpressed by the reveal of the Let's Go titles, there is good news on the horizon as the Switch looks to reinvent Pokémon once again next year.
More: 15 Ways To Make The Switch Pokemon RPG Amazing
Source: Pokémon/Twitter
