Pokémon Gen 8 Release Date Reveal: Nintendo Switch RPG Announcement Teased

Nintendo had one of its biggest years in recent memory in 2018 thanks to the continued success of the Switch and a little game called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. So how will the gaming giant follow that in 2019? With a new Pokémon game, of course. Nintendo is hosting a Pokémon-focused Direct presentation on February 27, and it seems pretty clear that the topic of discussion will be the long-promised “Core RPG” for Switch also know as Pokémon Generation 8.

“Tune in on 2/27 at 6am PT for roughly 7 minutes of new information in a livestreamed #Pokemon Direct presentation!” tweeted the company from its Nintendo of America account.

A follow-up message from the official Pokémon Twitter account added, “These are all the details you’re getting…until tomorrow. 😉 Set your alarms, Trainers—you don’t want to miss this Pokémon Day! ⏰ #PokemonDirect”

That’s not a lot of detail to go on, but everything seems to be pointing to Pokémon Gen 8 for Nintendo Switch. The company doesn’t have any other Pokémon titles on the horizon, and we doubt there’d be a Direct presentation for Pokémon GO (even a seven minute one).

Speaking of which, the fact that this video is only seven minutes-long does give us pause That definitely means we won’t be getting a ton of new details about Pokémon Gen 8 or any other surprise announcements (like the next Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character), but seven minutes should still be plenty of confirm the game exists, offer up a few details, and show off some gameplay. If we’re lucky, we’ll even get a release date, though it’s probably safe to assume Gen 8 is coming in late 2019.

When Nintendo released Pokémon Gen 7 (officially titled Sun and Moon) three years ago, fans also got a short demo they could play for free ahead of the official release. So maybe we’ll see something similar announced for Gen 8. Either way, Pokémon fans should expect some big news on Wednesday morning.