Earlier today our Twitter feed was alight with the recently released Japanese TVCM for the upcoming Pokemon Sword & Shield games, and we couldn’t be more grateful. I’m not usually one that’s super down with advertising in my feed, let alone targeted advertising, but when it’s coming from a pure place where fans are going absolutely wild? Yeah, you bet I’ll get in on that hype. In this case, the excitement was entirely justified, as the latest TVCM for Pokemon Sword & Shield tugs right on the chords of nostalgia in a way that only Pokemon really can, and the end result is a glorious linking of generations that has us extremely excited for that ever-nearing November 15 release date. Before we get any more into it though, check out the TVCM below:
Immediately opening up to a shot of the original Gameboy handheld and jumping over to the original Pikachu sprite from Pokemon Red and Blue, the tone is swiftly set. Only 30 seconds in total run time, the latest TVCM is a total homage to Pokemon’s long history alongside Nintendo, leaping from handheld to handheld and giving us a sprite-based taste of the adventures we enjoyed along the way, before finally jumping into the world of Sword & Shield as the trainer’s older consoles transform into a Nintendo Switch and all the Pokemon evolve into full 3D characters. It’s a simple commercial, but it does an excellent job of showcasing just how far the series has come from its origins on the Gameboy back in 1996.
Set to release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on November 15, the latest entries into the ever-evolving Pokemon franchise are definitely set to be day one pickups for the majority of our staff. For those interested in checking out more information on the upcoming titles, be sure to take a look at our full archives, here.