It was leaked earlier this morning, but now the next Pokémon remake has been officially revealed -- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are coming to Nintendo Switch this year. So yes, for those keeping track, it seems Pokémon Gold and Silver are being skipped over, at least for now.

　　Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl looks similar in presentation to 2018’s Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu/Evee, although the overworld graphics gave been simplified and the gimmicky Poké Ball Plus isn’t returning. Interestingly, the game will also be the first core Pokémon not handled by Game Freak – instead it’s being primarily developed by ICLA Inc. You can check out the trailer for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, below.

　　Here’s the official description of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, courtesy of Nintendo and The Pokémon Company…

　　Developed by ILCA Inc. and directed by Junichi Masuda (Game Freak) and Yuichi Ueda (ILCA), Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl enable fans to experience the original story and game features from Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl in a fresh way. The original games have been faithfully reproduced and colorfully revitalized for Nintendo Switch. The sense of scale of the towns and routes has been carefully preserved, and fans who played the original games will recognize many familiar places. These games are updated with the easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences introduced in recent Pokémon core series video games, in addition to up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes.

　　Trainers will choose either Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup to be their first partner Pokémon before setting off on their journey. Along the way, they will be able to encounter the Legendary Pokémon Dialga in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and the Legendary Pokémon Palkia in Pokémon Shining Pearl.

　　Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl arrives on Nintendo Switch sometime in late 2021. Interested in tackling these games again? I’ve always thought they were somewhat underrated entries in the series.