The Pokémon Company has announced the official release dates for both Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends: Arceus on Nintendo Switch.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, remakes of the original Diamond and Pearl on Nintendo DS, will launch on 19th November 2021. Pokémon Legends: Arceus will follow very shortly afterwards on 28th January 2022.
In case you need a quick reminder, Legends: Arceus is a completely new take on the series, with players exploring a vast, open-world version of Sinnoh "as it existed in the past."
You can find pre-orders for the new Diamond and Pearl games here, and Legends: Arceus here.
Are you excited to head out on your next Pokémon journey? Will you be picking up all of these when they launch next winter? Tell us below.
[source pokemon.co.jp, via twitter.com]
Comments 100
how how they announce the dates without the E3 direct??? hehehe
Sad, I don't think Pokemon LA will be finished till January 22. Also, do we really need two Pokemon games within 2 months?
Boom Shakalaka!
Wow Arceus comes out super early
This feels a bit too early, particularly with Legends. Hoping for the best.
I know a lot can be done in a year but Legends: Arceus did not look anywhere close to being ready
Very strange way to announce these, and so close to eachother. I guess I'm not complaining though.
This wonderful news has brightened up a rainy afternoon!
@mariomaster96 I don't personally but it's not like I need to buy or play both so it really doesn't matter.
I'm surprised they're releasing so close together, it feels like Legends could curtail Diamond/Pearl sales earlier than Nintendo would like.
Let's hope Legends has had a major frame rate improvement when they next show it.
@BenAV my point is that they could release LA at a later date (and therefore put more work into this game) since we already have BDSP at the end of 2021
The Gen 4 remakes launching November 19th follows the Pokemon mainline tradition of the past 7 years (when applicable) of releasing on 3rd Friday of November.
Wasn't expecting Legends Arceus until March given the early 2022 tease though so January release is extremely surprising.
Hardly anything major gets released in January. Maybe there's a lot of release congestion coming up in 1st half of 2022?
Legends is definitely a couple of months earlier than I thought. Cool though
That seams too early. I am getting the games, but I hope they show some small shading improvements to BDSP and some frame rate fixes to Legends Arceus.
I have super high hopes for Legends and will for sure get it, but DP i will skip
28th January, really?? I mean, the last time we saw Legends, it looked like it needed a lot more time for development. I thought it would come by the end of next year. I´m afraid it will finish being not as good as could´ve been.
I wish Game Freak took their time with each game, that they focused on creating something ambitious and unique, in order to expand the saga to another dimension. But no, they only care about the sales...
Oh well.
I hope for the best, as, while the BDSP release date is fine, the Legends release date worries me.
When I saw article posted I immediately went check both Global and Japan Pokémon channels, but nothing. Then decided read article and saw that they did something big via Twitter at this point of time. Then that made me realize that we probably won't get any news before E3 or at E3 like we used to get.
And when the game was announced with early 2022, I kinda thought that we get Legends: Arceus at 26th birthday of Pokémon, but why then choose it release almost a month sooner then birthday, that's gives some thoughts that they rushing a little.
Aww, was hoping BDSP would be ready for summer. Still actually looking forward to it a lot!
The legends box art is beautiful! But The remakes box art isn’t my cup of tea.
Makes me wonder if they have something else planned, to be announced around E3. Not necessarily suggesting a new-gen this soon (but you never know). Maybe another expansion for SwSh?
Or it's probably in-depth info on these games. But you would think they would have saved this announcement for a Pokemon Presents, which I assume may happen around E3
@mariomaster96 The faster they rush it out, the faster they can start working on the next game. They usually go with a quantity over quality approach.
Legends releasing that early is...concerning. Really hope it's polished 'till then.
Welp that confirms BOTW 2 isn't releasing any time soon
These games alone guaranteed Nintendo already won the holiday of 2021. No one could resist Pokemon and if you do resist good luck missing out.
Can't completely complain by this news but Legends should have been later, or if it was to be then release DP sooner. A 2 month gap for 2 likely big hitters seems far too small.
There is an awful lot of judging here already with claims that Legends is now going to have many problems and be poor due to the earlier release. Put down the pitchforks already, jeez!
Sure what they shown suggested more develpoment was needed but equally we do not know what build was shown on how much they already have done on the game, for all we know that could have been alpha footage.
Try looking at it a different way, the core development team to it likely moved to it when SS was released, with a small group staying to do the expansions (or you know they already had been made prior to SS release but yes money). With that idea they have had a fair amount of time and even longer by the time it's out.
Third weekend of November for BDSP, as is the standard of Pokemon releases for the past while. No surprises there.
As for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, I'm still cautiously optimistic about that one. I'll need to see more updated footage; it has been months since we've seen anything concrete, so I suspect the game has changed by now.
@KBuckley27 No it doesn't. Maybe you're right that it isn't releasing soon but why would Game Freak's production schedule have anything to do with that?
November is reasonable but arceus is really early. I expected maybe a mid february release but this is great
I would rather Arceus release in March (partly cause that’s my birthday) but also because it seems to need a lot of work and January is surprisingly close to the BDSP release. Nintendo must have something else big planned for March.
What a way to start out 2022.
I have a suspicion that before all of this, Sword and Shield will recieve one final update. It could be another expansion of sorts or simply adding in the remainder of missing Pokemon to the Pokedex. Regardless, I do believe those games have one final hoorah left in them.
@Bret why would Nintendo release BOTW 2 next to the first open world pokemon game and risk BOTW 2 being completely over shadowedand cannibalised in sales
@rex_rex I don't believe Pokemon games tend to have their release dates revealed in Directs with other Nintendo games. The Pokemon Company seem to mandate that their reveals and release dates are done under their terms.
@BenAV @mariomaster96 Didn't they outsource the DS remakes so the entire mainline team could work on LA?
@Rosona I think that is precisely what happened. Therefore, they will have about 2 years to develop the game, which is the standard for canonical Pokémon games.
I believe that the DP remakes were only developed due to the request of the fans (just like with ORAS), so much so that they left ILCA developing the remakes while Game Freak focused completely on the project that really interested them, Legends.
So there's your likely Holiday 2021 game from Nintendo. And with Arceus so close behind, I think that pushes BoTW2 to March 2022 at the earliest if they want to get it in this fiscal year. If not, maybe they just position it as the big Holiday 2022 title.
@Bobb Yep, different devs.
These release dates are what I expected because all three games are set in Sinnoh. So it makes sense that they would want to release them around the same time, since one purchase will incentivise the other.
Probably doesn't matter that they're back to back, especially since it's all Sinnoh. The gameplay in BD/SP and Arceus looks very different, and they'll probably appeal to slightly different audiences as a result. Honestly though, Arceus looked kinda bland and empty, so I hope they've added more to it. But I doubt it. Sw/Sh were pretty bland and empty too.
@LXP8 I agree however for me I might now skip the remakes and only purchase Legends.
As others have said... March 2022 must be something big from Nintendo. Pokemon Legends will sell regardless, so they must be assuming something else must take the big slot.
Most likely BOTW2 has been pushed back to that time slot.
Maybe this means Pokemon LA will be a launch title for the Switch Pro/Plus/OLED/4K?
@ok1 Correct. But this is the Black Friday release which is where they typically place their most impactful title for maximum Holiday sales potential.
This suggests to me Nintendo have a log jam of titles and are releasing big games in quiet spots. Or they'll be new hardware at the same time.
Welp, I was hoping for May at the earliest for Legends... Probably gonna be a mess.
@duffmmann yes, you are right.. there were the rumours about a pokemon presentation right before the E3 direct.. I think with these info, it's dead..
I knew it, I knew these were the holiday games unfortunately. But Legends being this January seems so soon especially in the condition its in.
Pokemon. Cue the doom and gloom and haters.
You sure, Game Freak?
Cause the game you showed us looked 3 years from completion.
They're gonna ruin this one too, right? Oh well...
I will be picking up 2 Arceus Legends and one of the Sinnoh games.
very excited for all three games. legends in JAN. 2022? What a way to start off the year..Nintendo is just going to keep dominating with no signs of letting up. it is a great time to be a switch owner.
Hoping Legends Arceus gets delayed - I think the fact that it's not releasing in the traditional November time window and is likely more detached from the usual multimedia integration means it probably has a chance of getting pushed back should it need more time (and it probably could use it).
I knew the remakes would be our holiday games unfortunately. Though I guess other than the Breath of the Wild 2 or the rumored Donkey Kong game if 3d and real, there really aren't other candidates that would be important enough to be our holiday title that have been announced yet. I'd be more excited if some more obscure IP were the holiday game like a Metroid title or Star Fox but thems the breaks.
Legends Arceus in january??? Omg it's gonna be so unpolished... There's no need to release it that early, i hope they delay it to march... The initial footage showing the pokemon moving in 3 frames really makes me worried
Personally, I also believe LA is releasing way too early:
1. Trailer made it seem like it was in need of a lot of work
2. It does not make business sense to cut the sales window for DP so short.
Also, hoping for a 2nd DP trailer by E3
Wow awesome can’t wait 👏
Don't really care about LA.
I am waiting for DP remakes more. Can't wait for those
@Dethmunk probably at E3, Nintendo may show some more better footage of LA
Was expecting a March 2022 release for Legends Arceus, but January works for me too.
Honestly November for BD and SP is to be expected.
Mainline Pokemon games are typically released in November while spinoffs are usually out in other months
If an ugly DS port is the holiday title for switch this year then I might actually not end up buying any first party switch games this year, wtf is Nintendo doing this year.
Is anyone really surprised that they're releasing a pokemon game in November? They always do.
legends launching in January is way earlier than I was expecting, I was thinking April at least.
WTF? They just shadow dropped the release dates outside a presentation, no E3 or Pokémon Presents announcement? And why so early? Guess Legends Arceus was meant to be the real holiday game but got delayed due to COVID. They should probably delay it even further.
@ok1 I never said this was a new thing. I'm saying that the placement of this makes it less likely that Nintendo has another big Holiday title. Not impossible, but less likely.
I wonder if maybe Legends: Arceus is coming out earlier than expected because the 9th generation is coming in late 2022? It would probably be around the time for it...(based on previous patterns)
@tzahn
Nintendo will release multiple titles during the holiday period as they always do.
@Bolt_Strike Doubt if Legends was pushed back by a mere 2 months due to covid, they could've scrambled the DP remakes together this fast.
@Octane BDSP is being worked on by a different team and is VERY low budget and looks very similar to the original. DP remakes were probably pretty far along before the pandemic started and may have been planned for earlier in the year.
I wonder how early on in development of Pokemon Legends Arceus, the trailer that they showed us was. I would hope that if they plan on releasing the game that soon, that it would have the level of polish I have expected for any company associated with Nintendo. That is the only game I have much interest in over the Diamond/Pearl remakes.
@the_beaver,
Let's at least wait until there is more information, or the release date before trashing these games.
@Bolt_Strike Well that's true, but don't they always release the main games and remakes during the holiday period? I'd assume BDSP would've released during the holidays anyway.
I like how everyone seems to be a backroom developer with their thoughts about Legends.
No one knows what build that was that they decided to show, and no one knows how long the game has been in development.
@Yorumi
What do you mean by "bad developer?"
What I do know is that Game Freak has released functional games that aren't broken at launch.
Just because they don't meet whatever expectations you have for their games, doesn't mean they're bad.
And my point stands. We know little to nothing about the development of Legends other than an obvious early build of the game.
However, I do hope they show off more of the game at E3.
That's a wall of text, bro.
Condense it!
-Nonsense hostility claims because you feel
attacked that a person dare brings up a rebuttal.
-You don't know what build of the game that was (and it was obviously very early) so to infer that will be the final product is foolish when you should wait for the final product.
-Game Freak is bad because Pokemon games haven't met your expectations as to where it should be, but all their games work, isn't broken, or very glitchy at launch.
-Mentioned an instance of a 22 year old game that was still in development as an indictment on GF.
-Brings up the nonsensical "corporate bootlicker" ad hominem attack to bolster your argument coupled with your wishes that GF be on the same page of devs like EA, Ubisoft, ect.
Did I get everything?
I'm buying Pokemon Legends: Arceus the second it hits store shelves!!!
@Yorumi
You don't have to lie about me, bro.
I addressed most of your points within that huge wall of text lol!
And you've proven that you're too emotional to handle discussions with some real honesty, so no, I'm not interested in talking with you further.
Have a fantastic day.
@TSR3 Maybe they had to push this forward to make way for a possible Zelda release...
@Heavyarms55,
Yes, and before the games have even been shown properly, pretty sure these will be fine.
They need until January for legends arceus? It looks like ps2 game though. I'm pretty sure the ocarina of time trees were in the trailer. With how simple the graphics are they could easily release it by September.
@rex_rex
The Pokémon Company, for the most part, always does their announcements independently from Nintendo. That's why they don't show up much in any Nintendo Direct and instead show up in "Pokémon Presents" livestreams.
In most cases, release dates would've been announced the week before E3, but I guess they decided to do it a bit earlier.
On one hand, I am VERY skeptical about that January release date. A game that has been only in development for around 2 years surely isn't as polished as a SEQUEL that reuses its predecessor's engine and has been in development for around 4 years. Keep in mind, Game Freak wouldn't be able to develop this while doing SwSh, because they were also working on Little Town Hero at the time.
On the other hand, it means we get a more polished BotW 2 because of the later release date.
@weisske,
I had a PS2, do not remember any games looking like this, quite like the look of legends from what I have seen so far, needs more polish, but still excited for it.
Bit weird timing, they're just creating their own competition.
The idea that TPC would show off anything but the best, current footage for Legends: Arceus back when it was announced doesn't make sense. They're trying to sell their games. Legends: Arceus looked much worse than the Wild Area, Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra at its reveal, so I'm very interested to see a trailer of Legends now since it's dated weeks into 2022 as opposed to a few months.
2022 also must be a packed calendar year for Nintendo if Legends: Arceus stays in January. I do think BOTW 2 would have good placement in early March to release on the anniversary, but it would be amazing if the rest of 2022 matched up to 2017 as well. Nintendo has not had another year like that on the Switch.
@weisske
I'd like to know which PS2 game out there looks as good as Pokemon Legends.
Some of the hyperbole around Pokemon is ridiculous.
@Yorumi first of all.
These games were released on a platforms that did not have any HD capability and is also mainly restricted to handhelds.
The switch is their first time putting Pokémon in HD so they weren’t exactly used to it at first.
@westman98 imo, I do think it is still a bit early to be judging LA at this time.
Nintendo has done weirder things. I am pretty sure this game was in development for a while but Gamefreak had to other things as well.
So hopefully, they improve performance and graphics. Graphically it isn’t bad far from it but there is plenty of room for improvement
Arceus looked promising but such an early release date is worrying. I actually hope it gets delayed a few months, if Game Freak ever do that?
Plus, I hope Arceus release date doesn't relate, in any way, to when BOTW 2 is released. That has to come out this year.
@anoyonmus
The only big issues with the Pokemon Legends reveal trailer from February is that some Pokemon were animating at 10-15 FPS despite being right next to the player character, which is obviously a bad thing and should (hopefully) be fixed by the time the game releases in January 2022.
Other than that, the visuals are comparable to that of most other open-world Switch games.
@westman98 true but I still think visuals can be a bit more better. Closer to more like Botw
But low poly texture can be done really well so I hope the developers improve on both framerate and graphics a bit more
@anoyonmus
I think any other potential issues related (low draw distance, blurry textures, general frame rate dips, resolution drops, etc) will be a result of the Switch hardware itself. You'd probably need a Switch Pro to resolve that.
@westman98 first of all, there is probably not gonna be a switch pro for a while.
2nd is that most of the time in a game there will always be some framerate drops
Surprised that Legends is releasing that early; it could kind of cannibalize their own sales from BD/SP if potential customers are going to pick one over another.
Hope they get something decent if they choose Legends over the remakes.
@anoyonmus
Switch Pro is coming sooner than you'd think, but let's not verge onto that topic 😉
@westman98 it’s probably coming out in 2022. Nintendo probably learned what happened with PS5 and XSX/S.
Or maybe they could do Microsoft did. If you have a base NS, you can trade it in for a more powerful version for free
Or something like that
The dates are too close tho..... i wish Diamond and Pearl's release was at Summer so i had much more time to play with them before i buy legend Arceus..
I can't lie... the fact this game is coming out earlier than it looks like is giving me suspects on how big it's gonna be.
I hope it's big enough to prove it really bears the name of a franchise known for its huge replayability thanks to its core mechanics (and it's now open-world to booth!)
On a side note, I really don't understand why they're giving a full price for remakes that don't even look like AAA quality blockbusters. It's something that even Nintendo is doing for their re-releases :S
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