Is Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee the actual Gen VIII Core Games or is it just a remake before the actual one?

Question

Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee has just been officially announced. We know its a Pokemon Yellow remake. Is there any information if this is it or if its just Gamefreak testing the Switch before going all out a new game?

Answer 1

E 2021: LGPE are generally considered main series games now (though, as you'll see below, they weren't always marketed as such, and they still bear major differences to the 'average' main series game)

I'm going to write an explanation here for what these games are exactly. Hopefully this will give some clarity. I'm halfway doing it for my own understanding, actually. :P

In short: 'Let's Go, Pikachu!' and 'Let's Go, Eevee!' are NOT main-series Pokemon games, and are spin-offs. Though these games are set in a main-series region and are developed by Game Freak, they should not be held in the same echelon as your X & Y or Sun & Moon. Courtesy of Serebii, we know the following:

• These two new games will only feature the original 151 Pokemon along with some Alolan forms. Real main series games always have continuity with each species that is previously featured. However, the games may still be considered Gen 8, as an unnamed 'special Pokemon' has also been confirmed.
• The two games do not feature the same mechanics as the main-series games. For example, it has been confirmed that wild encounters consist only of the motion-controlled capturing sequence and no actual battles. We don't know the full extent of the changes yet.
• The games have an integrated co-op system, which is a mechanic that has never been used in a main-series game, and deviates considerably from their typical structure.

Junichi Masuda will return to the director's role for this pair of games. He has stated quite explicitly that the target audience for these games is not the same as the main-series games. Sourced from IGN:

“For our first entry on the Nintendo Switch, I really wanted to do something more kind of simplified, something that really anyone could enjoy,” Masuda said.

“I think the reason for this is to get more Switches into the hands of younger kids and more casual players, not just players who are really interested in hardcore games or are really gamers first and foremost.”

Given the game's functionality with Pokemon Go, a lot of people are interpreting this as the Pokemon Company's attempt at mixing the casual, mobile game market with the Switch market. Regardless, you can take Masuda's word for it that you shouldn't expect the same thing from these games as you would from a main-series game. Even calling these a remake of Pokemon Yellow is a bit of a stretch -- they appear quite different.

If you're still not convinced, the Pokemon Company have also confirmed 'an all-new core series Pokémon RPG title' for late 2019 -- again, the implication being that these 2018 games do not belong in the main series. So fret not: these games seem more like something to tide us over until the next main series games release.

Comments

I think it's a little less black-and-white. Firstly Ishihara stated that it was a main series game, and Masuda mentioned it too. We know wild battles and breeding have been removed from the game, but we dont know everything else that's changed - if it was literally Pokemon Yellow with the GO catching mechanic it could still clearly be main series.

So overall it seems like it's not quite a spin-off, but it's also not quite a main true series game.

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does this mean we'll still be doing our battles in trading in Pokemon Ultra sun and Ultra Moon for another year

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@Pokemaster Huh, I didn’t notice that. It’s interesting then, that their PR seems to frame it otherwise. I’m still pretty firm that it’s a spin-off if we go by a fan’s definition of what constitutes a main-series game, since these games are definitely missing core functionalities. I think there’s a bit more at play than just their remaking Yellow, but we’ll see. Definitely more convergence here than with other games.
@dis oshawott This is another question I’d raise in terms of whether this is actually a main-series game. If we’re only getting the 151, then I’d say yes: the competitive community at least will stick to the US/UM formats unless they reveal some important stuff between now and November. I can’t see how a game missing so much core strategy is going to overtake what we have now, and we still don’t know everything that is missing.

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And timely update, it’s now been confirmed by Famitsu that Battle Spot, GTS and Wonder Trade will be absent in these new games. So US/UM will remain at the forefront in that regard, unless there’s more we’re yet to hear.

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Yay I don't have to buy a switch for another year