New games announced: Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield!

Brand new Pokémon games have been announced in the Pokémon Direct today! They are called Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. They take place in the Galar region, which appears to be based on the United Kingdom, and will feature lots of new Pokémon, including 3 new starter Pokémon:

• Grookey (Grass type), the Chimp Pokémon
• Scorbunny (Fire type), the Rabbit Pokémon
• Sobble (Water type), the Water Lizard Pokémon

See below for more details and screenshots. Here is the trailer:

Notable elements from the trailer:

• Wild Pokémon battles return.
• Random encounters are also back - Pokémon are not seen in the overworld like the Let's Go games.
• A large stadium is seen, perhaps the location of an important battle like the Elite Four or Champion battle.
• The region features a mix of old and new Pokémon. Seen in the trailer were Pikachu, Minccino, Wishiwashi, Grubbin, Hoothoot, Zweilous, Flygon, Braviary, Wailmer, Meowstic, Lucario, Tyranitar and Munchlax among others.
• There is an underground mine with gems in the walls.

Various screenshots:

Route 1 in Galar

A wild battle

A trainer battle starts

A railway bridge

A snowy town

An underground mine

A large stadium

Entrance to the stadium

See more on the Sword and Shield main page.