New main Pokemon game currently being developed for Switch

Nintendo has announced that a mainline Pokemon game is on the way for the Nintendo Switch. It is currently being developed by chief Pokemon developer Game Freak. The announcement was made at the Nintendo E3 event today.

This marks the first time that the developer is doing work on a Pokemon game for a Nintendo home console. Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and other Pokemon titles on home consoles had different developers.

Pokemon on Switch will feature the same RPG gameplay mechanics seen in the core Pokemon games. But don't get too excited just yet - it won't arrive in at least a year. The release date could fall in holiday 2018 if the release dates of Pokemon Sun and Moon and Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is any indication.

When Pokken Tournament DX and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were announced last week, many expected (or hoped) that Nintendo would reveal the rumored "Pokemon Stars," a supposed third version of Sun and Moon, this week. That didn't turn out to be the case, however.

Still, hearing that Game Freak is finally developing a main Pokemon game for a Nintendo home console is big news. They should have done that for the Nintendo Wii U, too. The Wii successor, which failed to gain any steam right from the start, could have used it as a boost. It would have been a cool consolation prize as well for loyal gamers who stuck with the Wii U through thick and thin.

Nintendo opting not to immediately release Pokemon on Switch actually makes sense. The company has been struggling to keep up with the demand for the Switch, with many game stores still out of stock. Releasing a main Pokemon game for the console this year would be pushing their luck.

And it's not like Sun and Moon proved to be disasters to warrant an immediate fix in the form of another main Pokemon game. So, yeah, there's definitely no reason for Nintendo to quickly roll out Pokemon on Switch this year.