Nintendo’s core Pokémon Switch RPG is now reportedly set for “late 2019”

2019’s core Pokémon RPG experience is now set for late 2019, meaning Nintendo Switch fans will have to make do with Pokémon: Let’s Go for the time being.

While Pokémon fans wait for the series’ debut Nintendo Switch title, Pokémon: Let’s Go, diehard players interested in a core Pokémon experience may be waiting a little longer than they originally thought.

In an earnings report published by Nintendo today, the company revealed that the upcoming Pokémon RPG, temporarily titled “Pokémon RPG for Nintendo Switch,” is now set to release in the U.S., Europe, and Japan in “late 2019,” rather than in the second half of 2019 as previously stated. That means fans around the world may be waiting for the 2019 holidays to enjoy the Switch’s more traditional Pokémon experience.

It’s not that surprising that Nintendo is waiting to launch the Nintendo Switch’s main Pokémon experience until late 2019. With Pokémon: Let’s Go set for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 16, it’s clear Nintendo wants to capitalize on Pokémon’s mainstream appeal to push Switch units and increase sales around the holiday season. While delays are never fun for consumers, they also give developers the opportunity to squash bugs and polish a release so players have the best experience possible on the game’s first day.

In the meantime, it seems Nintendo is gradually cooling off long-term expansion for the Nintendo 3DS. In the company’s primary financial report, Nintendo notes that it will “continue to leverage” the 3DS’ “rich software library and its hardware install base” in order to “further expand sales of evergreen titles.” Nothing else is said, suggesting that Nintendo mainly wants to continue focusing on titles that provide long-term growth while minimizing new releases.

If so, then the Pokémon series may gradually move over to the Switch over time as the 3DS is eventually overshadowed by Nintendo’s latest console.

The report also confirms that Nintendo’s upcoming Yoshi game for Switch is still slated for 2019, with no specific release date announced. The game was delayed earlier this year after a planned 2018 launch. Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4, on the other hand, have no target release dates in all three regions.

H/T Serebii.net