The Pokémon Company just announced a Pokémon Presents live stream will be taking place this August 3. The stream will feature updates on their various apps and video games, including the highly-anticipated Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. These Pokémon Presents are often the avenue through which the company shows off their bigger trailers and announcements, so if you're a Pokémon fan, stay tuned! The live stream will begin at 6am PT/9am ET, and you can watch it on their official YouTube channel here.
This announcement is coming off the back of a torrent of reported Scarlet & Violet leaks. There won't be any specifics mentioned here, in case you want to go into the showcase without any expectations, but the sheer amount of info that's been relayed and the proven history of the reporters has many convinced of their veracity.
This Pokémon Presents showcase is likely where we'll learn if the leaks are true or not. The games are set to release on November 18, 2022, so since they are about three months away, we are due for a more in-depth look at the world of this new generation. Many are still curious about the exact functionality of the games' previously mentioned features, such as its open-world format, and its online play.
Furthermore, it's still not exactly clear how far this game will deviate from the very well-received spinoff that came out early this year, Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Players who followed the series more casually, as well die-hard Pokémon fans who play every game, praised the changes it made to the franchise's traditional formula. Though it's clear Scarlet & Violet will carry over the idea of openness in the games' playable terrain, mechanics like actively throwing Poké Balls or being able to catch Pokémon outside of battle have yet to be shown.
It's also unclear how free will the games truly be. Pokémon Legends: Arceus worked by having an open-zone map, where one had to load to travel between open areas. The website for Scarlet & Violet describes them as "the first open-world RPGs in the Pokémon series." If such is truly the case, the series will have to deviate from its traditional story structure that often revolved around having to shut the way forward for the player in order for the story to progress. These questions may not be answered until release, but hopefully, we'll get at least some answers this Wednesday.