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The next Pokemon games are called Sun and Moon, and they launch this year

The next Pokemon games are called Sun and Moon, and they launch this year

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At a brief online event today, Nintendo unveiled the next big Pokemon games: Sun and Moon. The two releases will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS in holiday 2016, and are the first major entries in the series since Pokemon X and Y in 2013. The titles for the games actually leaked out yesterday thanks to a trademark registration in Europe.

Sun and Moon will be available at the same time worldwide, and launch in nine different languages, including traditional and simplified Chinese. "We hope that, through Pokemon, players can overcome language barriers and interact with other players from around the world," Tsunekazu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokemon Company, said during the presentation. Aside from the names, few details about the games were revealed, though you can catch a glimpse of what looks to be concept art in the gif below. Sun and Moon will also support the Pokemon Bank cloud service so that you can transfer pokemon from previous editions of the game.

Pokemon Sun Moon gif

The news is just the latest in a busy year for Pokemon; tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary for the franchise, and there are several new games launching throughout the year. Next month will see the release of fighting game Pokken Tournament on Wii U, helmed by some of the key minds behind Tekken and Soulcalibur, while later this year augmented reality game Pokemon Go will make its debut on iOS and Android.

If you're in the mood for something a little more retro, starting tomorrow you'll be able to play the original Pokemon games on your Nintendo 3DS.