Generation 8 of Pokemon is here! After first being teased over a year and a half ago, Game Freak, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company decided to unveil Pokemon Sword and Shield during a Pokemon-focused Direct. This is the first mainline Pokemon game to be developed solely for a home console and it definitely looks the part.

Instead of the trials-focused structure Pokemon Sun and Moon had, Pokemon Sword and Shield will once again feature Pokemon Gyms, making it a more traditional adventure. The three new starters Grooky, Scorbunny, and Sobble were also revealed alongside the game. This new pair of games takes place in the brand new Galar region, which Game Freak says is populated by "idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forest, and craggy, and snow-covered mountains."

President and CEO of The Pokemon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara also had nice things to say about these new games. "Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are the latest exciting adventures in the Pokémon video game journey that began twenty-three years ago on this day. Since then, Trainers around the world have discovered new Pokémon, engaged in epic battles, and made countless memories along the way," he commented. "We look forward to continuing this journey by exploring a stunning new region in the Pokémon universe when the games launch later this year on Nintendo Switch.”

While Pokemon Sword and Shield are the first games in the series on Nintendo Switch to take place in a brand new region, they technically aren't the first games to hit Nintendo's hybrid console. Last November, Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokemon Company released Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! which served as 3D remakes of Generation 1 games, mostly Pokemon Yellow, and spliced in some elements from Pokemon GO.

Those games have gone on to sell over 10 million units in a very short amount of time, so Pokemon Sword and Shield will, hopefully, be able to sell just as well, if not better. If you want to see DualShockers' thoughts on those games, you can check out our review. 

You can check out the first trailer for the game below. Pokemon Sword and Shield will be exclusively hitting the Nintendo Switch in late 2019.