We've been anticipating the Pokemon Sword and Shield release date for some time now, ever since the games were announced as the first core Pokemon Switch titles, and Nintendo have finally revealed the date. The Pokemon Sword and Shield release date is November 15, 2019, which means it will launch right in time for Christmas. It also means that there's just six months to go until Pokemon Sword and Shield arrive, which to be honest, is just too long.
Alongside the Pokemon Sword and Shield release date, Nintendo also revealed a bunch of new gameplay details for the eighth generation of pocket monsters. Max Raid Battles are now a thing, which seem to work similarly to Pokemon Go raids, but for just four players at a time. In battles, Pokemon can also now be Dynamaxed, which increases their size tenfold and makes them much more powerful than before. This only lasts for three turns though, so you need to use it at the opportune moment. And we wouldn't recommend doing it inside a building or there won't be much of a building left...
Professor Magnolia is the new Pokemon professor this time around and the first woman we've had overseeing your journey, while Leon is the name of the current champion and Hop is your rival. There's also Sonia - Professor Magnolia's granddaughter - who will help you along the way. Finally, Zacian and Zamazenta are the two legendaries; blue and red dogs with a sword and shield respectively. Here's everything covered in more detail in the new Pokemon Sword and Shield trailer.
Oh, and there's a sheep called Wooloo. Check out the full 15 minute Pokemon Direct for yourself below:
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will allegedly introduce 27 new Mega Evolutions, leakers claim, and we can only hope Flygon gets its chance this time
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's director appears to be a Xenoblade Chronicles fan, and I'm now feeling very validated about a tiny detail I spotted in the upcoming RPG's gameplay trailer
