Pokémon Database - News & Updates
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On this page below you'll find the recent Pokémon news and updates to this site. Delve deeper using the menu above to find detailed Pokédex entries, attack stats, evolution chains and our thriving community of awesome Pokéfans who'll answer your questions. And much more besides!
New gameplay mechanics revealed at Pokemon World Championships
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 16 August, 2019
The Pokémon World Championships kick off this weekend and at the opening ceremony, Junichi Masuda revealed various new gameplay mechanics in Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield. A video has been released of these updates:
- Galarian Weezing has a new ability, Neutralizing Gas, which cancels out the abilities of all Pokémon in battle.
- Corviknight has a hidden ability, Mirror Armor, which reflects any stat-lowering effects.
- A new move Breaking Swipe, which hits multiple opponents and lowers their attack.
- A new move Steel Beam is listed on a screenshot of the online battle interface. It's presumed to be the English name for a move that was part of a naming competition in Japan. A Pokémon loses 50% of their HP when using this move.
- A new held item Room Service which lowers the Pokémon's speed during Trick Room.
- A new held item Eject Pack which switches out the Pokémon if its stats are lowered.
New Sword/Shield trailer reveals Galarian Forms and rivals
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 07 August, 2019
A new trailer has dropped for Pokémon Sword and Shield, which reveals new Pokémon, Galarian Forms, new rivals and Team Yell.
New Pokémon:
- Galarian Weezing is Poison/Fairy type and has industrial chimneys on its head. It has the ability Levitate and another that has not yet been revealed.
- Galarian Zigzagoon and Galarian Linoone are Dark/Normal type and their stripes have turned black and white. They keepy their usual Pickup/Gluttony abilities.
- Obstagoon is a new evolution for Galarian Linoone. It's Dark/Normal type and has the ability Reckless or Guts.
- Morpeko is a Pikachu-like Pokémon that's Electric/Dark type. It has two forms - Full Belly Mode (looks happy) and Hangry Mode (looks angry). It has a new move - Aura Wheel which changes from Electric to Dark type in Hangry Mode. It has a new ability - Hunger Switch which facilitates this.
New Sword/Shield trailer reveals new Pokémon and Gigantamax
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 08 July, 2019
A new trailer for Pokémon Sword & Shield has been released and reveals several new Pokémon:
- Alcremie, a Fairy type Pokémon that looks like a whipped cream dessert. Ability: Sweet Veil
- Yamper, the Electric type corgi Pokémon that was seen in the E3 demo, is officially announced.
- Rolycoly, a Rock type Pokémon that looks like a lump of coal. Its ability is Heatproof or a new ability Steam Engine which raises its Speed when hit by a Fire- or Water-type move.
- Duraludon, a Steel/Dragon type Pokémon. Abilitiy: Light Metal or Heavy Metal.
New Pokémon revealed in Pokémon Sword/Shield E3 demo
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 11 June, 2019
A demo of Pokémon Sword & Shield is available on the floor of the E3 Expo, and includes new Pokémon!
Yamper and Impidimp
Yamper (above left) is Electric type and has a new ability Ball Fetch which can fetch a Poké Ball if the player failed to catch a Pokémon.
Impidimp (above right) is Dark/Fairy type.
Many gameplay details revealed in Nintendo E3 Direct
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 11 June, 2019
A new Nintendo Direct has aired at E3 and revealed some information about Pokémon Sword and Shield.
It was stated that the Poké Ball Plus accessory (that was released with Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee) will work with Sword/Shield and Pokémon can be taken for a stroll. It cannot be used as a controller in Sword/Shield however. A new Water type gym leader was also revealed, named Nessa.
Following the Direct there was a Nintendo Treehouse Live segment which showed plenty of gameplay - details below.
Pokemon Direct reveals new Pokemon and Dynamax feature
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 05 June, 2019
A new Pokémon Direct has just finished airing and revealed lots of information on the upcoming games, Pokémon Sword & Shield! Last things first, the release date was revealed at the end of the Direct as November 15th 2019.
A new trailer was shown during the Direct and included the first in-game footage of the starters (Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble). Then we saw our first glimpse of new Pokémon:
Three of the new Pokémon revealed
- Gossifleur (left) is Grass type and can have the ability Regenerator or a new ability Cotton Down, which lowers the opponent's Speed when it attacks Gossifleur.
- Wooloo (middle) is Normal type and can have the ability Fluffy or Run Away.
- Drednaw (right) is Water/Rock type and can have the ability Strong Jaw or Shell Armor.
Additional Pokémon shown were:
- Eldegoss, the evolution of Gossifleur. It stays Grass type and keeps its abilities.
- Corviknight, a raven-like bird. It is Flying/Streel type and can transport the player to previous towns.
- Zacian and Zamazenta, the two legendary Pokémon. They are both wolves - the former holds a sword in its mouth, while the latter has a shield as its mane.
Pokémon press conference reveals new games and apps
General News — 29 May, 2019
The Pokémon Company held a press conference last night, announcing many new projects in the Pokémon franchise! The full video can be seen below. First up, TPC CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara talked about the success of the Detective Pikachu movie, then announced that a sequel to the 3DS game is in development for the Nintendo Switch.
Following that, Ishihara talked about the Pokémon Quest game that came out last year, and announced it will soon be available in China with an additional player-vs-player battle mode. No word on whether these enhancements will come to the existing game in other languages.
Next, game director Junichi Masuda came on stage to announce a new app for Switch and smartphones - Pokémon Home. It's billed as a place where all Pokémon can gather
. Essentially it is a replacement for Pokémon Bank that works with multiple games: Pokémon GO/Let's Go/Bank transfer one way to Pokémon Home; while the upcoming games Pokémon Sword/Shield can transfer Pokémon to and from Pokémon Home (see diagram below). It also has a trading feature like the core games. It will be available in early 2020.
Then a brand new concept was announced - Pokémon Sleep. TPC stated that in the same way Pokémon GO got players outside and active, they wanted to help them get a good night's sleep. A new device named Pokémon Go Plus+,
that looks similar to the Go Plus, can be used to track sleep patterns to ensure a good night's sleep. It's similar to existing sleep apps, however, the Pokémon version includes some gamification features and will connect with Pokémon GO.
New Pokémon Direct and TPC press conference announced
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 27 May, 2019
The Pokémon Company have announced a new press conference for tomorrow, which will cover a number of topics of interest to Pokémon fans.
The exact content is unknown but they used the same event last year to announce the Pokémon Let's Go games as well as Pokémon Quest. It's possible there will be some information on the latest mobile game, Pokémon Rumble Rush, which has yet to be released outside Australia.
There could be info on the upcoming Sword & Shield games, however, TPCi have also announced a new Pokémon Direct for Wednesday next week! This is confirmed to focus on Sword & Shield and is around 15 minutes long.
- The press conference is Tuesday May 27th at 6pm PT / 9pm ET / 2am (28th) in UK / 10am (28th) in Japan.
- The Pokémon Direct is Wednesday June 5th at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm in UK / 10pm in Japan.
So that's two information drops to get excited about!
New mobile game: Pokémon Rumble Rush
General News — 16 May, 2019
A new Pokémon game for smartphones been announced: Pokémon Rumble Rush! It is already available in Australia but will be released to the rest of the world soon.
Pokemon Rumble Rush logo
As the name suggests it's the latest in the Rumble
series of games (aka Scramble
in some territories), in which you make your way through various levels, defeating Pokémon on the way. Sometimes the defeated Pokémon will join your team - as you progress your opponents will become stronger and stronger.
The game is free-to-start
with in-app purchases.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu now in cinemas
General News — 10 May, 2019
Pokémon Detective Pikachu, the first live-action Pokémon film, is now out in cinemas worldwide! It's a fun movie with lots for Pokémon fans to enjoy. The reviews have been coming in this past week and they are largely positive.
The film follows Tim Goodman, whose father, a detective in Ryme City, mysteriously goes missing. He teams up with his father's partner Pokémon, the titular Detective Pikachu voiced by Ryan Reynolds, in order to crack the case.
See how many Pokémon you can spot in the film!
New Pokémon Pass app announced with shiny Pikachu/Eevee event
Pokémon Events — 01 May, 2019
The Pokémon Company International has today announced a new smartphone app. It's called Pokémon Pass and grants players exclusive content including wallpapers, digital stickers, and event Pokémon. The app is free, but currently only available in the USA. No release date has been set for other countries.
In addition, a new event has been announced for US players to receive a shiny Pikachu or Eevee in participating Target stores. Players need to download Pokémon Pass, then visit a store and the app will use geolocation to notify you of nearby offers, allowing you to scan an in-store QR code.
- Shiny Pikachu will be available for Pokémon Let's Go Eevee, with the moves Thunderbolt, Double Kick, Double Team, and Thunder.
- Shiny Eevee will be available for Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu, with the moves Double-Edge, Iron Tail, Helping Hand, and Facade.
They are available from May 11th to June 23rd. Target will also have giveaways for the upcoming Detective Pikachu movie, on May 11th between 10am and 1pm (local time).
New games announced: Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield!
Pokémon Sword & Shield — 27 February, 2019
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:
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