The next two Pokémon titles finally have release dates. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl arrive in November 2021, with Pokémon Legends: Arceus dropping in January 2022, which leaves the door open for the inevitable release of the Pokémon Gen 9 games. And if the reports of a new Nintendo Switch Pro are true, the new titles could be announced relatively soon.
Nintendo is reportedly ready to reveal its upgraded Switch before E3 2021 to allow for its partners to show off games on the new console during the video game conference. This strategy would also allow Nintendo to use its own online presentation to focus on games arriving in 2021 and beyond. The new Nintendo Switch Pro is reportedly set to go on sale in the fall, just in time to pair it with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. How the arrival of a new Nintendo Switch Pro affects the possible release of the Pokémon Gen 9 games is simple. The Pokémon Company/Game Freak could use the new console to show the fanbase all the improvements made from the last main series games.
The Nintendo Switch Pro could help Game Freak build upon what Pokémon Sword and Shield offered by using the new console's reported upgraded specs to create a more immersive experience. Perhaps the Wild Areas introduced in Gen 8 and character models could look better on the Nintendo Switch Pro's reported 4K resolution. Whatever the developers want to use it for, Pokémon Gen 9 will likely wait until after the Nintendo Switch Pro is announced to show off what players can hope to be the best-looking Pokémon game to date.
When Will The Pokémon Gen 9 Games Be Announced?
There are a few factors that point to a 2022 release for the Pokémon Gen 9 games. The first is the release of the Nintendo Switch Pro itself, since if the new console does release in the fall of 2021, that would make both the Pokémon Gen 4 remakes and Pokémon Legends: Arceus early titles for potential players to get excited about - something which would likely help boost the upgraded Switch's adoption numbers.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus' release date is in January, which leaves the 2022 holiday season without an announced Pokémon game. There's been a Pokémon game every holiday season since 2013 aside from 2020, when Nintendo released The Crown Tundra DLC for Pokémon Sword & Shield. Late 2022 would be a prime place for the release of the Gen 9 Pokémon games, which means an announcement would come earlier that year.
Excited fans will likely be tuned into this year's Nintendo conference to see if the Pokémon Gen 9 games will be announced, but it's unlikely. With the Pokémon Gen 4 remakes and Pokémon Legends: Arceus to promote, announcing a new generation of games would just take publicity away from the already-announced titles. Also, the Pokémon Company has also started to have its own online presentations, similar to Nintendo Directs, to promote its games. When the last generation games, Pokémon Sword and Shield, were released in 2019, the official reveal came nine months prior, on Pokémon Day itself. Fans should expect the same for the Pokémon Gen 9 games.