Nintendo Switch reportedly to be the first home console to get a Pokemon game

Pokemon Sun and Moon are finally out today, but it now appears that they won’t be a Nintendo 3DS exclusive. 

Instead, the games looks set to make their way to the Nintendo Switch console in 2017, and are under development under the name Pokemon Stars.

The name suggests that the game will be a combined version of Sun and Moon, in the same way that Yellow was a combination of Red and Blue and Crystal was a combination of Silver and Gold. 

A Poke-first

This will be the first ever time a full Pokemon game will appear on a home console. Pokemon characters have appeared in versions of the Super Smash Bros games, and the Nintendo 64 received a Pokemon game called Pokemon Stadium. 

Eurogamer, which first reported the news, is claiming that multiple unnamed sources are stating the game has been developed in parallel with the handheld versions, and as such is already a long way into development. 

The game will also apparently feature connectivity with the handheld versions, allowing you to transfer Pokemon between the two via the Pokemon Bank app. 

The news tallies with previous comments from Game Freak which suggested that they were looking to develop games for the Switch (then known as the NX). 

Apparently the game is expected to launch late next year after slipping from its early 2017 planned launch date. 

We have contacted Nintendo for comment and will update this piece when they respond. 

Jon Porter

Jon Porter is the ex-Home Technology Writer for TechRadar. He has also previously written for Practical Photoshop, Trusted Reviews, Inside Higher Ed, Al Bawaba, Gizmodo UK, Genetic Literacy Project, Via Satellite, Real Homes and Plant Services Magazine, and you can now find him writing for The Verge.