Pokemon Releases Creepy New Trailer for Pokemon Legends: Arceus

The Pokemon Company has released a strange new teaser to promote its upcoming Pokemon Legends: Arceus game. Earlier today, The Pokemon Company released new "found footage" from the Hisui region, the area that players will explore in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Despite the game being set in the feudal era of the Pokemon world's timeline, the footage is taken from the perspective of a researcher exploring a snow-covered area of the Hisui region. At first, the researcher discovers a group of Snorunt, but then decides to enter a more forboding area. From there, the researcher finds a new Pokemon, described as having "white fur on top its head and around its neck" that's "so fluffy," with round, yellow eyes. We don't get much more of a description, as the researcher is seemingly startled or attacked off-camera, leaving the camera on the ground. You can check out all the found footage below:

This teaser is a nifty way to hint at a new Pokemon, following in the tradition of the 24-hour stream that preceded Pokemon Sword and Shield that eventually revealed Galarian Ponyta. It's unclear whether this new species is a brand new Pokemon species, a regional variant Pokemon, or a regional evolution of an existing Pokemon. So far, The Pokemon Company has revealed that Pokemon Legends: Arceus will have both new regional variants and regional evolutions, but no entirely brand new Pokemon families. We'll also note that the use of found footage is also a reminder of the stakes of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a game in which trainers can actually be attacked and knocked out by wild Pokemon.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a new style of Pokemon game set in a past era of the Pokemon world. The game is set in the Hisui region, the area that will eventually become known as the Sinnoh region. Players will be tasked to collect data for the region's first ever Pokedex while investigating a mysterious phenomenon that is causing some Pokemon to go berserk. Notably, the game uses new catch and battle mechanics. The game lacks a separate battle screen. Instead, players deploy their Pokemon on the "overworld" map to battle wild Pokemon. Catching Pokemon involves sneaking up on them instead of randomly encountering them in tall grass.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus will be released on January 28, 2022.