Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl are officially the next entries in the franchise receiving ground-up remakes. The long-awaited reimaginings, officially titled Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, have been speculated about for quite some time but weren’t confirmed to be in development for Nintendo Switch until today, during Nintendo’s newest Pokémon Presents. The two remakes, which arrive sometime late this year, might have a somewhat cuter and retro take on the art style than expected, but you can take a look for yourself in the announcement video below. The game is being developed by ILCA, who worked on Pokémon Home, and being directed by ILCA’s Yuichi Ueda and Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda, the latter of whom directed the original Diamond and Pearl games.
Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl first brought players to the Sinnoh region all the way back in 2007 on Nintendo DS. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are both games to add to a growing list of previous remakes, including Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green, Soul Silver and Heart Gold, and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The last remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, arrived in 2014. With the amount of time that has passed since their release, fans have eagerly awaited today’s reveal.
Today’s Pokémon Presents is part of the festivities surrounding the franchise’s 25th anniversary. Nintendo will continue to celebrate the franchise’s history as the year rolls out, but don’t forget that New Pokémon Snap is also arriving this year on April 30.
