Pokemon Switch RPG Now Coming Out in "Late 2019"

Nintendo released its earnings for the first three months of the fiscal year with plenty of good news. Switch sales hit 20 million units and operating profits are up 88.4 percent. In looking to the future, Nintendo outlined the release schedule for upcoming first-party games and managed to further lockdown the next Pokémon RPG on Switch from a "second half" of 2019 to a "late 2019" release, suggesting we could see the next Pokémon during the peak holiday months.

The untitled Pokémon RPG for Switch is the proper next entry into the mainline Pokémon series. Meanwhile this year's two Pokémon games on the Switch, Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Pokémon Let's Go Eevee, are reimagined remakes of earlier Pokémon RPGs.

The mainline Pokémon RPG for Switch was originally slated for a "second half" of 2019 release window back in May. The fact that the Pokémon RPG is arriving in late 2019 could indicate a yearlong gap between Pokémon titles. Pokémon: Let's Go is coming out in November this year in time for the holidays, and there's reason to suspect that whatever the next Pokémon RPG is called, it will also be released during a similar window.

Nintendo's latest earnings report that the company moved 20 million Switch units, and a prediction that it will move 20 million more before the end of the fiscal year in March 2019. While current Switch sales are a bit slow, Nintendo has a strong back half of the year with Pokémon: Let's Go and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate slated for the holidays.

Pokemon: Let's Go is an improved take on the mechanics introduced in Pokemon Yellow. Players can travel alongside their Pokemon, capture Pokemon using motion controls, and even purchase a separate Pokeball accessory that lets players track Pokemon in public similar to Pokemon Go's Plus accessory. Pokemon Let's Go is separate from next year's mainline Pokemon RPG for which you can read more about in our Pokemon Switch guide.

For more, check out our Pokemon Let's Go guide for everything we know about this year's Pokemon debut on the Nintendo Switch including release date, version differences, and trailers.