Pokemon Winds And Waves confirmed for Switch 2 in 2027; pokemon winds and waves reveal shows island region
The Pokemon Company announced pokemon winds and waves as the first mainline entries built exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, saying the games will arrive in 2027. The reveal landed on Friday during the franchise's 30th anniversary on a special Pokemon Presents livestream, and it laid out starters, setting and links to past games.
Announcement on the 30th anniversary livestream: Switch 2 exclusivity and 2027 release
The Pokemon Company used a special Pokemon Presents livestream on Friday — timed with the franchise's 30th anniversary — to announce that the new mainline titles are exclusive to the Switch 2 and scheduled for release in 2027. The company described these as the first mainline Pokemon games in the series for that hardware.
Pokemon Winds And Waves starters: Browt, Gecqua and Pombon
The reveal included the three new partner Pokemon that will serve as player starters. Browt is the grass-type starter, described as a chickadee with a head bulbous enough to "invoke the Brain. " Gecqua is the water-type starter, a quadrupedal gecko noted for its cool attitude. Pombon is the fire-type starter, an orange pup with a mane that eclipses its body; the presentation suggested Pombon may quickly become a fan favorite. The announcement framed these three as the powerful pals that will be the player’s first partner in an unfamiliar new place.
Open-world island region follows Scarlet and Violet precedent and recalls Ruby and Sapphire
Following the precedent set by Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the new games appear to be set in a fully explorable open world. The playable region is scattered across multiple islands with wide swaths of ocean between them, creating a distinct split between water and land. That split was described as harking back to gameplay mechanics from third-generation Pokemon games Ruby and Sapphire, which were first released in Japan in 2002.
Returning Pokemon and island-themed habitats shown
Several fan-favorite Pokemon from previous games were shown as part of the cast players can catch, including Pikachu, Tympole, Wailord, Tropius and Frillish, among other older creatures. Many returning Pokemon appeared to fit the island theme: Slugma was seen in volcanic caves, Carnivine in marshy swamps and Lumineon in underwater coves.
Performance expectations, Scarlet and Violet’s legacy, and other Switch 2 Pokemon projects
It has been four years since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were released for the Nintendo Switch. Those games were lauded by some fans for their open world and more freeform approach to storytelling but were also held back by poor performance and game-breaking bugs on Nintendo's first hybrid console. The announcement framed pokemon winds and waves as games built for, and exclusive to, the more powerful Switch 2 hardware, and said they need to fare better when it comes to in-game performance.
Winds and Waves may be the first traditional Pokemon games on the Switch 2, but they are not the franchise's first ventures on the new console. Pokemon Legends: Z-A was described as recently released and introduced a whole new battling system that moves away from the turn-based mechanics the franchise has used since 1996. Pokemon Pokopia, an Animal Crossing-style game, was announced as slated for release next month and positioned to bring pocket monsters to cozy gaming spaces. Nintendo also announced that the competition-focused Pokemon Champions will be released on the Switch in April and is coming to mobile devices later this year. Those releases were described as titles that will have to tide fans over until they can dive into the watery world of Pokemon Winds and Waves in 2027.
Error 418 message and a curious line
Alongside the coverage, an Error 418 message reading "I am a teapot" appeared in one item, accompanied by the line "Short and stout, this is my handle, this is my spout. "
