‘Pokemon Diamond’ & ‘Pearl’ Remakes Coming To Switch This Year

In a presentation Thursday, the Pokemon Company announced remakes of two highly coveted Pokemon classics. The 2007 smash-hits Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are being remade in HD for Nintendo Switch. Even more impressively, they will be on store shelves this year.

Under the new titles Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl, Pokemon trainers will be returning to the Sinnoh region with Chimchar, Piplup or Turtwig to battle the region’s best.

The updated 3D visuals are a far cry from the bitmapped style of the original games, but if the recent Pokemon Sword & Shield are any indication of what’s possible with modern hardware, Pokemon fans can look forward to a robust second look at the region so many Pokemon fans call their favorite.

The director of the DS originals, Junichi Masuda, is once again at the helm of production for the upcoming remakes. Under Ilca Inc., the studio that developed Pokemon Home, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl will be releasing “late 2021.”