Joining the likes of Dialga, Lunala, and Zekrom, Pokémon Sword and Shield's legendary title creatures are Zacian and Zamazenta.

As predicted, both are wolf-like Pokémon that come with a shield and sword in how their appearance that influences their moves and attacks. It also looks like the two will either be separate forms of the same Pokémon or a branch evolution like with what Lunala and Solgaleo were in Pokémon Sun and Moon.

The sword in Zacian holds in its mouth is said to have the ability to cut through anything and, much like Suicune, its movements are graceful, practiced, and will captivate opponents. Meanwhile, Zamazenta can turn back any attack with its shield-like form and will overwhelm any enemy that challenges it.

They were initially shown battling one another in a dense forest, which is probably unrelated to where the player will find them in-game but based on the detail of the trailer, it also could be a vital clue for when the games release to the public.  GameFreak stated that both Pokémon are shrouded in mystery even to the inhabitants of the Galar region, so these small details might add up later. 

Both Pokémon are likely going to have a tremendous impact on the story, likely with a focus on the late game as is typical in most games. This will also likely include some tie-in with whatever the unannounced evil team will be trying to accomplish throughout Sword and Shield's story. 

It is currently unknown if Zacian and Zamazenta will be available in both Sword and Shield or if they will are exclusive to their respective games. It is possible players may have the chance to catch whichever Pokémon is on the cover of their game and then can later capture the opposite legendary during the post-game. 

We told you before, and we will repeat it, never trust a "leak" that is too good to be true.

If you recall, a bunch of supposed "leaks" recently dropped that gained the attention of the Pokemon Community around supposed Galar form Pokémon (which to be fair haven't been denied yet) and a supposed Pokédex leak — which has now been proved to be false.

None of the Pokémon that were revealed for Sword and Shield today were anywhere in the list, proving it to be a false report like we originally anticipated. There is no mention of Wooloo, or Drednaw, or any of the Pokémon that came out during the Pokemon Sword and Shield direct live stream.

This new information goes to show that you should never, ever, believe a supposed leak or overhype something with no ground as its 99.99 percent of the time going to turn out to be just untrue.

Potentially, Galor forms could be a thing, but we have five months until the games are released to find out if that is a reality or not.

Pokémon Sword and Shield launch on November 15 for the Nintendo Switch.

The Pokemon Direct took place early this morning, and during that 15-minute presentation, we were able to get a quick glimpse at some of the new creatures we're going to see in Pokemon Shield's and Pokemon Sword's Galar region.

Here are the handful of new Pokemon we saw during the direct:

• Wooloo
• Gossifleur, and their evolution Eldegoss
• Drednaw
• Corviknight

The Pokemon direct did not offer too much information beyond showing their names and getting a brief idea of what their types could be. We know that Wooloo is the sheep Pokemon, and they're one of the new normal-type Pokemon you can encounter. Gossifleur and Eldegoss are grass-based, as their direct connection plants is a dead giveaway. Drednaw is the bite Pokemon, and given its turtle-like shell, you can quickly distinguish it as a rock-type and water-type. The final new one we saw was Corviknight the raven Pokemon is a flying, dark bird, and it's going to be a flying-type and a steel-type.

Gossifleur was the only one of these four to show off their evolution if they all have one.

This story is still developing, and we'll be modifying it as we acquire new information.

One of the new features coming to Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield is called Dynamax. When this happens, the Pokemon in question becomes bigger, stronger, and requires more than one Pokemon trainer to take it down.

While in this mode the entire arena becomes darker, with the Dynamax Pokemon looming at the front of it. You and three other trainers are going to surround it, taking it turns attacking it to bring it down.

You're only going to encounter Dynamax Pokemon in specific areas throughout the Galar region. During the Pokemon direct we did see one of the trainers pull out a massive Pokeball that they used to capture one of these unusual creatures, so we can guess that these Dynamax Pokemon trainers encounter in the wild are going to be available for capture.

Outside of these unique combat encounters, trainers can also Dynamax their Pokemon. However, the effect only lasts for three turns. During this transformation, the Dynamax Pokemon are going to receive a power-boost and new moves they can use during the battle.

These new moves are called Max Moves. A Max Move is incredibly powerful, and can even trigger additional effects to happen during the fight, such as hitting a Pokemon with one of these attacks and lower their overall Speed stat. The Max Move a Pokemon knows determined by attacks they already know in their normal state.

We're still learning about this story, and we will be updating this story as we receive additional information.

Today's Nintendo Direct was all about Pokemon Sword and Shield. We learned the game would have Raids, online multiplayer, a Dynamax system that would feature battles between giant Pokemon. We met new characters, trainers, and we saw lots of new Pokemon that we could catch in the game's new Galar region. The most important thing we saw during today's direct was Wooloo.

Wooloo looks like a particularly chilled-out sheep, with pigtails and tiny little horns that are ridiculously cute.  The weavers who live in Galar view Wooloo's soft fur as a treasure, and they use it to craft goods. Wooloo is a Normal-type Pokemon that stands at two feet tall and weighs about 13 pounds. Wooloo also has Fluffy and Run Away abilities. 

The white fur that covers Wooloo’s body grows throughout its life and will fully grow back in three months even if it has been completely shorn. The fur is used for clothing, carpets, and other goods and is very popular as a specialty product of the Galar region. Wooloo live as a herd and mimic the actions of their Trainer or herd leader. They dislike conflict, and if they need to escape from enemies, they will simply roll away.

Wooloo seems like a Pokemon that has its priorities in order. No desire for fame, fights, or fortune, a Wooloo wants to chill in a field, eat some grass, and grow some cute fluff that somebody can turn into a sweater. Plus, is there anything better than simply rolling away from your enemies, neatly getting you to safety while making them look like an idiot?

I am sure I will love to have all sorts of outstanding Pokemon that are great at fighting, but I absolutely can't wait to walk around and enjoy the sites and sounds of the Galar region with my good buddy Wooloo. 

The latest feature to get introduced to the Pokemon franchise is called Dynamax. When a Pokemon is in the Dynamax mode, they're significantly larger, stronger, and harder to take down. As such, players are going to need to take them down with help from friends.

When trainers encounter a Dynamax Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, they're going to need help from three other trainers to take it down. It's going to act similar to the raids that happen in Pokemon Go where trainers team up to take down a single, powerful creature.

By bringing this mode to one of the main Pokemon games, the developers have changed the single-player dynamic of these games and introduced a new way for multiple people to work together. It brings a more MMO-like playstyle to the franchise, encouraging more players to reach out to others they may not have originally played the game with and strive towards a single goal. These MMO features are also going to influence an individual player's main story, outside of the online features.

Additionally, it highlights the need for Switch owners to get access to Nintendo's online subscription format so that players can take advantage of these new features. It shows how much success happened with Pokemon Go that the main developers want to tap into what made that game model successful with the bigger, typically single-player games. We could begin to see more features of bringing random trainers together to tackle a difficult task, such as event weekends where players are going to encounter a rare Dynamax Pokemon. 

We have an article dedicated to all of the information we know about Dynamax Pokemon you can read to learn more details about the raid-like mode.

We're going to learn more about Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield when E3 2019 happens next week. Hopefully, the developers talk more about the numerous events they have planned to happen in the game and how players are going to team up to conquer these formidable challenges.

Pokémon will be including MMO-style raids for the first time in the main series. 

The Nintendo Direct showed off multiple players teaming up to battle giant Pokémon in battles called Max Raid Battles. These battles are a new kind of conflict that occur in a particular area of Galar known as the Wild Area. 

The Wild Area is an expansive land that has remained an untamed part of the Galar region. Trainers who travel to the Wild Area will find Pokémon that cannot be found anywhere else in the region as they traverse an environment that is continually changing.

Weather, location, and many other factors will change what Pokémon can be encountered in the Wild Area, meaning players will see something new if they visit often. Players will also be able to control the camera freely in these more open locations, letting them better view the area and search for Pokémon and anything else that might appear. 

As for the Max Raid Battles, teams of up to four trainers will join forces to take on giant Pokémon known as Dynamax Pokémon. This Dynamax form gives the affected Pokémon a boost in not only size but also to specific stats. 

In regular battles, a Dynamaxed Pokémon would only remain in that form after three turns, but the Max Raid bosses will stay gigantic for the entire fight.

A Pokémon in Dynamax form can perform moves known as Max Moves. Much like Z-Moves in Pokémon Sun and Moon, these particular moves can have added effects like the Normal-type move Max Strike dealing damage but also lowering the opponent's speed. These effects are all determined by the Max Move and what moves the Pokémon knows before Dynamaxing. 

Much like in a traditional MMO or even Pokémon GO raids, trainers will need to closely work together to conquer the Max Raid bosses if they want a chance to capture the Pokémon. Certain Pokémon will also only be available through Max Raids. 

Players can participate in Max Raids together both in-person and via Nintendo Switch Online, but if a trainer is unable to find a group to raid with, AI support characters will automatically be added to the player's team so they can still enter the raids. 

Of course, since this is a series first, many things can go wrong here, especially with Nintendo's messy past with online play, but just the concept is something that has been requested for years. Maybe this is the precursor to Nintendo, including more fan-favorite ideas or online implementation. 

A good thing to note is there will likely be much different from Pokémon GO raids. 

The Nintendo Direct that took place today showcased a host of new features on the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield. Set in the Galar region, the next mainline game in the series is set to introduce new Wild Areas.

The Wild Areas are places that you can find typically between two cities. It’s not clear whether they have replaced the more tradition Routes, but this is something that we should find out in time.

In the Wild Areas, you will travel across Galar over luscious fields, mountains, and other terrains, encountering long grass, water, and caves. The Wild Area will act as your primary source of new Pokémon. Unlike in previous Pokémon mainline games, encounters will not be random, and instead, you will need to approach any Pokémon that you see in the grass. Some you can walk up to straight away, while others require a more subtle approach.

The Wild Area will also be prone to the effects of both weather and time. This new function means that like previous games, there are some Pokémon that can only get captured during certain times of the day, but unlike previous games, the weather can also have a bearing on what Pokémon will be available to catch.

It’s also likely that these will serve as roads or paths to new cities, mountain paths and caves that will allow you to explore the region further, while continuing the series’ traditional exploration element, granting some access to the rarer Pokémon depending on how much of struggle it is to get there.

A new feature in the Wild Area is also access to a 360 degree camera, meaning for the first time in the mainline series, you can freely explore the Wild Area like you would any regular RPG instead of the forced isometric view of previous titles. This new feature should give the game a more mature, accessible, and more complete JRPG feel.

Max Raid Battles, where you can join forces with other Pokémon trainers to take on a Dynamax Pokémon for the chance to catch one at the end, also take place in the Wild Areas. Multiplayer and raids will be both local and online multiplayer, with further details about what the raids entail on our guide to multiplayer in the game.

So far, this information is everything we have about the latest Pokemon game. We hope that more details will be released as the game draws closer to it’s November 15 release. For those interest, you can pre-order the game from the Pokemon website at your leisure.

Trainers in Pokemon Shield and Pokemon Sword are going to have the opportunity to make their characters stand out by customizing them as soon as they load in the game. 

This information was confirmed by the official Pokemon Twitter account shortly following this morning's Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield direct. You can view the tweet below.

As a resident of the Galar region, you’ll meet many different people and Pokémon on your journey to become the Champion!

First things first: customize your appearance, and then you’ll be on your way.#PokemonSwordShieldpic.twitter.com/0yY7eVUAoQ

— Dynamax Pokémon (@Pokemon) June 5, 2019

In the screenshot of the trainers, we see eight preset character pictures. As of right now, it is unconfirmed if these are all of the choices, or if these are the presets players are going to start with, and then they can further modify them in a character creation window.

It's likely trainers are going to have the most customization when it comes to the type of clothing their trainer can wear. There could even be clothing attached to completing specific tasks in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield further encouraging later options as players get closer to finishing the game.

This story is still developing, and we're going to modify the information as we learn more.

Nintendo Direct has told us all about the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield games. With a release date of November 15, you might be thinking about pre-ordering your copy (or copies), today. In this guide, we will run through how to pre-order the games.

Pokemon Sword And Shield Preorder Guide

One of the easiest ways to pre-order Pokemon Sword and Shield is via the Pokemon website. It acts as a central hub, and you can pick the version you wish to pre-order, and it will then give you links to the various retailers who will be stocking it. 

If you would prefer direct links to retailers, you can find them below for both versions of the game. Both Amazon and Best buy are currently doing a deal where you will get $10 back on your pre-order. To receive the credit, you must be an Amazon Prime member or a member of the Best Buy club.

Pokemon Sword

• Best Buy - $60
• Amazon - $60
• GameStop - $60
• Walmart - $60
• Target - $60

Pokemon Shield

• Best Buy - $60
• Amazon - $60
• GameStop - $60
• Walmart - $60
• Target - $60

Pokemon Sword and Shield Double Pack

The Double Pack can also be pre-ordered from the Nintendo website, and will cost $199.99. I will add individual retailer links, and any information on deals, as soon as they become available. 

Before trainers can take their first steps in their new journey in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, they first need to determine which of the three starter Pokemon they want to take with them. They have to choose between Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble. Following today's Pokemon direct, we acquired new details about these three.

Grookey

• Category: Chimp Pokémon
• Type: Grass
• Height: 1′
• Weight: 11 lbs.
• Ability: Overgrow

The stick that Grookey holds, originally from the forest where groups of Grookey live, is imbued with special powers after being exposed to the energy within Grookey’s body. Its green fur creates energy from sunlight. When Grookey drums with its stick near wilted flowers and leaves, they regain their color.

Scorbunny

• Category: Rabbit Pokémon
• Type: Fire
• Height: 1′
• Weight: 9.9 lbs.
• Ability: Blaze

Scorbunny uses its powerful legs to confuse and disorient its opponents by running and jumping around them. Because the soles of its feet can become very hot, Scorbunny’s kick can burn and damage opponents, too. With a sac in its chest containing viscous fire energy, Scorbunny can increase its heart rate and body temperature by running around. This awakens the true power of its fire energy and greatly increases its physical abilities.

Sobble

• Category: Water Lizard Pokémon
• Type: Water
• Height: 1′
• Weight: 8.8 lbs.
• Ability: Torrent

When Sobble touches water, its body changes its pattern and color, allowing it to blend into its surroundings. A rather timid Pokémon, Sobble will secrete the water within its body like sweat and disappear into its surroundings when nervous or embarrassed. With tears that are as potent as a hundred onions, Sobble will start to bawl if it feels threatened, spreading its tears around the area and causing everyone around it to start crying uncontrollably. Sobble will then use this distraction as a chance to escape.

These three Pokemon are going to be the first you encounter in the Galar region. You can check out some of the other new Pokemon you're bound to run into during your journey, who are unique to the region. You can expect more Pokemon to get revealed during E3 2019 and we're going to have more information as we approach the release date for Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, which releases this year on November 15.

For the first time in the core series, Pokémon Sword and Shield are set to ditch the random encounters that they have been using in past games, and instead, players will see wild Pokémon wandering around. This new feature gives trainers the choice to pick which Pokemon they want to go out and catch. This system first appeared similar in the previous Nintendo Switch Pokémon games, Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee.

The new system will mean that the player will be able to walk out into the Wild Areas of the Galar region and see Pokémon that they can encounter. They will all act differently from each other, with some that will move away from any approaching player that is making themselves known, and some that will actively seek out the trainer when they are close enough to them. This can also be affected by the conditions in the Wild Area, more of which can be found in our guide to the Wild Areas of Sword and Shield.

You can also see Pokémon that are hiding in long grass or ones that are hard to spot by a bubble appearing above their head with an exclamation mark, similar to the one that gets the attention of a trainer who wants to battle.

Each Pokémon will also have abilities that can affect both during a battle or when exploring. For example, the new Pokémon Gossifleur and Eldgoss use the new Cotton Down ability, which causes a cotton fluff to be released when hit back an attack, causing the other Pokémon in the battle to have their Speed stat lowered.

Any Pokémon that the trainer catches will no longer be registered in a traditional Pokédex. Instead, their data will be logged in the new Rotom Phone, a device powered by the Pokémon Rotom. This power Pokémon can also be used for other electrical items too. For example, you can use Rotom to power up your bike, allowing you to travel faster. It may even include the ability to go over water with it when modified. We detail more of what the phone can do in our guide to the Rotom Phone.

These changes are all positive for the series, and highlight a natural evolution from the traditional games in the series so far. Adding a phone instead of a Pokédex, for example, shows a great deal of awareness for the need to modernize the series, turning it into the fully fledged RPG Adventure game that players have hoped that the game would become for years.

We cannot wait for the release of Pokémon Sword&Shield.

In Pokémon Sun and Moon, trainers got to travel alongside a helpful device known as the Rotom Dex, a companion version of the Pokédex device that merged with the electrical Pokémon Rotom, who is known for taking over appliances. 

Now Pokémon Sword and Shield appear to be taking the building on that concept by adding the mischevious little Pokémon into the player's phone. 

It isn't just a standard phone, seeing as it will be acting as the player's Pokédex in Sword and Shield. Whether the device will operate like it was in Sun and Moon where it actually shows the Rotom entering the device, or the device comes with a Rotom already inside hasn't been revealed yet. 

Like with the Rotom Dex, players will most likely be able to use the device in other ways. Features like a photo mode, built-in map of the region, and direct interaction with the player will probably be carried over. Things like having the Rotom Phone give tips or advice, have a changing personality, and giving out rewards based on how the trainer interacts with the hybrid could also make a return.

However, the trailer also showed a brief scene of the player character on a bike with the Rotom Phone attached to it. When the trainer added the device to the bike, there was an electrical charge that boosted its speed while showing electricity sparking off of it. In the official press release following the Direct, it states that "it can be attached to a bike to make it move faster on land or even travel over water once the bike is modified."

The water traversal shows the player controlling the bike after it has taken on a pedal boat look. It will probably control similar to the surfing function from previous games. 

In all likelihood, this will be how Game Freak uses the ability of Sun and Moon's Ride Pokémon without having to bring in a concept that was a unique function exclusively used in the Alola region. Something like Rotom boosting a bike that has an attachment can easily explain the mechanic without the need for Ride Pokémon or a return of HM moves. 

Now a faster land speed and turning the bike into a Transformer-like vehicle that can also work as a replacement for a surfing Pokémon is one thing, but the real question is how they will implement things like Fly, Strength, and Cut. Maybe we will see a flying bike transformation too. Stay tuned as we learn more about the Rotom Phone and how else it's going to assist trainers on their journey through Pokemon Sword and Shield.

the developers from today's Nintendo Direct that featured Pokemon Sword and Shield. People all over the internet are wondering who Pokemon Sword and Shield's James Turner is.

James Turner is currently the Art Director of Pokemon Sword and Shield at Game Freak, and he introduced us to a lot of new Pokemon that will be inhabiting that Galar region. One fascinating fact about James is that he was the first Westerner to officially design a Pokemon, all the way back in 2010. He created seven Pokemon in Pokemon Black and White, two for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, two for Pokemon X and Y, and two for Pokemon Sun and Moon. The following Pokemon were all designed by Turner:

• Naganadel
• Poipole
• Guzzlord
• Buzzwole
• Trevenant
• Phantump
• Mandibuzz
• Vullaby
• Golurk
• Golett
• Vanilluxe
• Vanillite
• Shadow Lugia

James was also director of the 2012 3DS game, HarmoKnight, and the 2015 game Tembo and the Badass Elephant. Before joining Game Freak, Turner spent eight years working at Genius Sonority. Nintendo and the Pokemon Company jointly own Genius Sonority.

James Turner was born in Lincoln, England, and attended the University of Wolverhampton, where he achieved a first class honors degree in Electronic Media BA. He spent a short time working as an animator for TV advertising before joining Blue 52 Ltd as a game developer. He joined Genius Sonority in 2002, before moving to Game Freak in 2010. 

One of the biggest reveals of the Pokémon Nintendo Direct today is the new Max Raid Battles that players can encounter in Pokémon Sword&Shield.

In the raids, trainers will team up along with three other players to take on wild Pokémon that are under the Dynamax effect, where the Pokémon is much larger and more powerful. Unlike with the expected effects of the Dynamax mechanic, where your Pokémon will be under its effect for three rounds, the wild Pokémon will be under the influence for the entirety of the battle. They will be fierce battles, even if a team of four up against it. However, the reward is grand.

Should you be able to defeat the Pokémon as a team, each of you will have the chance to catch the Pokémon. The raid option is very similar to that of the one used in the mobile game Pokémon GO, where players who reach a raid location with other players can team up and use their Pokémon to take down the guarding raid Pokémon, and then once defeated, players can attempt to catch it.

While you can use all of the Pokémon in your possession in Pokémon GO, it is not yet clear how many you can use for the Max Raid Battles in Pokémon Sword&Shield, though we expect that they will follow the same format as the mobile version, balanced around having six Pokémon in each player's team of equal strength.

Fear not though as there is a helping hand. One player in the team attacking the wild raid Pokémon will be able to use the Dynamax effect on their fighter, allowing it to be enlarged and beefed up for the usual three turns. This new feature is only available to one player and for one Pokémon in the raid team, so communication and coordination is key to ensuring that the best Pokémon for the job gets the use of the Dynamax effect.

While Dynamax-powered, your Pokémon will use Max Moves, which are supercharged versions of their attacks. These new moves can only get used by players while a Pokémon is under the Dynamax effects, which have an incredible boost to their damage output. This new feature will be valuable in raids as type advantages will be vital for maximizing the damage output and therefore increasing the chance of catching the Pokémon, as demonstrated in the Nintendo Direct where a Dynamax powered Raichu took on a Dynamax powered Gyarados.

GameFreak also confirmed that there would be some Pokémon that are only available to catch using the Max Raid Battles, making them a rare find. This choice encourages players to work together more to allow for the team to all receive the prize scalp of the raid Pokémon. The Max Raid Battles can take place both in a local multiplayer setting as well as via online play, so you and your friends can team up from across the world to take down the rare Pokémon found in the raids.

This exciting new feature will add a further social element to the game, and we hope that the raids are as fun as they look.

Just before E3 is set to get underway, rumors of the newest fighters coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the Fighters Pass have started popping up, with Rare's Banjo Kazooie being one of the biggest names.

The Nintendo 64 veterans haven't been seen on a Nintendo console in more than a decade, and with Microsoft owning the character, things have never looked suitable for a potential revival of the classic platformer - at least on the Nintendo side of things. 

That was until the past year or so as Microsoft and Nintendo have started working closely together, bringing games like Cuphead to the Nintendo Switch while allowing others like Minecraft access to Xbox Live Achievements even while playing on Nintendo's console. The Bear and Bird have been closely linked to the Smash series for years, with fans wanting the classic mascot to battle it out with the likes of Mario, Link, and Sonic, but these recent rumors show it might actually be happening. 

A potential new design for Banjo has been making the rounds on social media, that along with Microsoft saying most of their studios will have something to show off during their E3 conference has fans looking to Rare. Outside of Sea of Thieves, they haven’t done much in recent years, so now might be the perfect time for a Banjo revival. 

That could mean either a remastered version of Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, and maybe even Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts getting announced or a completely new entry in the series. Something like finally giving fans a true sequel in Banjo-Threeie or maybe pulling a God of War and starting fresh with a new Banjo-Kazooie title is a possibility too. 

Following the initial round of rumors, more posts about the concept and possibility of Banjo being the next DLC fighter for Smash Ultimate popped up on ResetEra. This wouldn’t be out of line after having Cloud from Final Fantasy VI join the roster back on the Wii U and the recent addition of Joker from Persona 5. 

The current belief is Erdrick from Dragon Quest will be the next to join the roster, followed by the likes of Minecraft Steve and Doom Guy. None of these rumors have any weight behind them as of yet, but the partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo leans a lot of credence to the possibility of Banjo finally coming home. 

E3 is just around the corner, with Microsoft’s conference taking place on June 9 at 3pm CT with Nintendo following on June 11 at 10am CT. You will find your answers there. 

You can expect another round of DLC to hit Battlefield 5 at the end of June on the 27, called Chapter 4: Defying the Odds. There's a brand new trailer showcasing some of the fantastic new stuff players are going to encounter as they travel around the new maps.

The first map in the series is Al Sundan. In it, players are going to find a large environment to fight in as this location is going to highlight vehicles as a main priority for both sides. Additionally, snipers are going to flourish if they can locate a decent enough place to pick off enemies.

The next map releases in July, and it's called Marita. Unlike the previous map, players are going to find the city walls are preventing them from performing too many long-distance shots. Instead, it'll be a medium-range fight where smaller, quicker vehicles are used to skate across the map. Players are going to want to use unique tactics to outmaneuver their enemies.

The final two maps in Defying the Odds are called Provence and Lofoten Islands. Both of them are going to highlight the violent nature of close-quarters combat as players focus more on taking out the enemy with their infantry soldier. These maps are both set to release in August.

Additional content included in this series of DLC includes Elite skins, weapons, and a new set of weekly challenges.

No one should have to purchase access to Chapter 4: Defying the Odds, as all of it is made available to everyone with a copy of Battlefield 5. The current piece of DLC content, Chapter 3: Trial by Fire, is set to close out before the end of June, and the final piece of content included in it before Chapter 4 arrives is a new game mode called Outpost.

Make sure to update Battlefield 5 on June 27 to gain access to Chapter 4: Defying the Odds as soon as it launches. Check out the DLC's trailer below.

Accordingly to data mined leaks, and a report from Kotaku that cites insider information, Destiny 2 will be coming to Google Stadia and getting a cross-save function. The cross-save feature will allow you to transfer your progress between Xbox, PC, and Google Stadia, although Sony has adopted their usual position concerning the PlayStation 4 and don't seem to be on board at the moment.

It looks like "Cross Saving" will be announced tomorrow for Destiny 2 pic.twitter.com/m2fgwtkzc7

— Ginsor (@GinsorKR) June 5, 2019

In the data mined image above, you can see the words "cross-save", heavily implying the feature is coming to the game in the future. Destiny 2 would greatly benefit from the functionality, as would any game that releases on multiple platforms. There is nothing worse than losing all the progress you have made on your Guardians just because you switch platform. It is highly like that the feature, and the Shadowkeep expansion, will be announced tomorrow during Bungie's Destiny 2 live stream.

The Google Stadia news is, perhaps, a little more interesting. Despite Activision not being happy with the sales, Destiny 2 still has a huge player base, so having a game like that on the new streaming platform would undoubtedly be a strong move. It does also imply that we might not see Destiny 3 for a while, as there is little reason to put the game on the platform if it was just going to get replaced soon. At the fact that Shadowkeep is rumored to release in the Fall, and we could easily be looking at another year or two with Destiny 2.

Interestingly, Google also has a live stream tomorrow for Google Stadia, so I would expect to learn a lot about how the two companies are working together then.

We know we said never to believe in leaks, but a new one that surfaced today is painfully accurate for Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Made by an Anonymous user some days ago, the leaker revealed a bunch of information that was legitimately apart of today's Nintendo Direct alongside a host of other details that did not release.

The leaker goes on to reveal more information, such as having more rivals, the name of the evil organization "Team Yell" as well as more information that we can't get our heads around.

He also hints as to the Starter Pokemon evolutions, with Scorbunny looking to turn into a Fighting-type by the sounds of it, as well as new Pokémon like Pamper, an Electric Corgi Pokémon, and how Gyms will work.

Obviously, as always, take leaks with a pinch of alt but considering the scary accuracy of the other things that turned out to be confirmed, its reasons to believe some, if not all, could be true. I mean, really, who before today would have thought of a word like "Dynamaxing" off the top of their head!?

There is honestly just too much to go into in one post, so we ask that you read the leak for yourself above and let us know what you think of the information.

Pokémon Sword and Shield release on Nintendo Switch on Nov. 15 worldwide.

Pokémon Sword and Shield just had their June Direct, and they revealed a bunch of new information. They unveiled new Pokémon, new characters, and new areas of Galar that we can explore. However, there is plenty of small details hidden throughout the Direct. They’re little details that can foreshadow future news for the game.

In the very beginning of the Direct, a new trailer for Pokémon Sword and Shield was shown off. In this trailer, we got to see more footage of the playable trainer traveling the Galar region. We got to see more of the towns, including the city with steam coming off of it. We even get to see day and night versions of some of the cities. The tall tower in the middle of the Galar map is shown prominently for the first time since the map first appeared.

During the trailer, we see the trainer riding their bike. Bikes were the old-way of transportation for players in older Pokémon games until the games allowed gamers to summon Pokémon to ride through the region. The device used to gather Pokémon to ride on was called Poké Ride in Sun and Moon.

Transportation

Not only is the Bike back in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but it has also received an upgrade. The trailer shows the trainer riding on water. In all Pokémon games, before Poké Ride was there, gamers needed to teach their Pokémon specific HM to surf on water or fly to different towns. Poké Ride got rid of HMs, but now it seems like Bikes are more versatile than ever. If we can ride on the water with them, then what would be the point of calling in a Pokémon to use surf? The Direct will later reveal that there’s a Taxi system in Sword and Shield, and trainers can use them to fly to towns they have already visited.

We see several Pokémon flying above ground in Sword and Shield, out of reach for the trainer. Will we be able to summon a Pokémon to hover above the ground, or will the Bike upgraded to fly as well?

New Opponents

At the end of the trailer, we witness the playable trainer face off against the grass Gym Leader, Milo. Both the trainer and Milo wear jerseys with numbers on them. The trainer wears a jersey with the number 65 on it, while Milo wears one with 831. At this moment, we don’t know the significance of these numbers. Since character customization is coming back, we wouldn’t be too surprise if players are capable of changing their jerseys.

As the gym battle is about to start, the trailer goes into the point-of-view of a hovering camera. We know it’s a camera because of the white corners that appear along the sides while filming something. On the side of the screen, there’s an image of a Rotom mixed with a drone. It looks like Rotom takes control of a drone and films the gym battle.

New Pokémon and Random Encounters

The Direct then moves on by revealing more about the new Pokémon first shown. These new Pokémon are Wooloo, Gossifleur, Eldegoss, Drednaw, and Corviknight. There aren’t too many details about these Pokémon that we haven’t revealed before. The only thing worth noting is the fact that Corviknight looks like a dark knight from classical, medieval tales, which explains why it is a flying/steel type. Its feathers are probably as robust as steel, and they look like a knight’s armor.

The next major part of the Direct is giving more information on the Wild Area. The Wild Area is a large section of open land that the trainer can traverse in freely. It isn’t a usual route where it has a straight forward starting point and destination. Trainers can walk around the Wild Area anywhere they want.

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Based on the limited footage shown off, the Wild Area appears to be mostly that huge land where the lakes reside in the Galar Map. However, as the Direct mentions, the Wild Area stretches to the city to city. We wouldn’t be surprised that if everything below the black castle in the map, that isn’t a town, is a part of the Wild Area. While we do know that weather does affect the Wild Area, there were certain parts in the Direct that clearly showed the Wild Area having different terrains. We also see the bridge in the center of the Galar map as part of Wild Area, and the bridge is further north from the large lakes.

We see Pokémon walking through the Wild Area just like we did in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, meaning we probably can confront different Pokémon directly and battle them. However, we’re not convinced that random encounters are entirely gone. For one, in the reveal trailer for Pokémon Sword and Shield, we see a trainer go into a Pokémon battle with a wild Pokémon while sneaking in the grass. There was no sign of the Pokémon on screen, and the grass appeared to be empty.

Admittedly, the announcement trailer for Sword and Shield could have been using early development footage of the game. We would later see the trainer sneaking in the grass again in today’s Direct. This time, we see the trainer sneaking up towards something hidden in the grass.

With that said, we are not ruling the possibility that the Wild Area is the only place to encounter wild Pokémon walking in the overworld. There’s a chance that the Wild Area functions like Pokémon Let’s Go, while the towns and areas near cities work just like any old Pokémon game.

Dynamax

Dynamax is a new feature in Pokémon Sword and Shield that turns Pokémon into giants. Dynamaxing Pokémon gives them Max Moves, which are extra-powerful moves. We see an example of Max Moves in the Nintendo Direct. At the 8:52 mark in the Direct video, we see a Raichu’s move before Dynamaxing. Raichu’s moves are Thunderbolt, Light Screen, Brick Break, and Quick Attack. After Dynamaxing, Raichu’s moves become Max Lightning, Max Guard, Max Knuckle, and Max Strike.

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What’s interesting is that Light Screen is a Psychic move, yet turns into Max Guard, which is seemingly a normal type move. Max Guard, Max Strike, and Quick Attack have a white circle next to their names. Quick Attack becomes Max Strike after Dynamaxing, which implies they are both normal type moves. Light Screen, on the other hand, had a swirl next to its name, suggesting that the surge represents psychic type moves. Nonetheless, Light Screen turns into Max Guard, which has a circle next to its name. There is a possibility that Max Guard is the default Max Move for all moves that raise the defenses for Pokémon, meaning it doesn’t matter what the original type for the move was.

New Characters

The next focus in the Direct was introducing the new major characters in the game. We get to meet the undefeated champ of Galar, Leon. Leon wears a royal mantle, and a t-shirt with a sword and shield on it (get it?). Gym battling is a big sport in Galar, so the Gyms are stadiums filled with people. Leon is in many ways the ultimate sports star in Galar. Just like how race car drivers have different sponsors all over their jackets, Leon has several sponsors on the back of his mantle. You can see it at the 12:43 mark in the Direct video above.

Hop is Leon’s younger brother, and he is one of your rivals. The translator for Shigeru Ohmori says that Hop will be one of your rivals, implying there will be more than one rival in the game. Is that the case, or was that a mistranslation? Hope has a logo on his backpack that is identical to the logo that Leon has on his shorts. It’s a black and red logo, and we don’t know if it means anything or the brother love the same brands.

Continuing the trees/plant theme of past Pokémon Professors, Professor Magnolia of Galar, which derives from the name of a flower. She also carries a crane that looks like aCorviknight. Her necklace has a gem that oddly looks like Z Crystals from Pokémon Sun and Moon. It is most likely a coincidence, but what if it’s not? Then there’s Sonia, Magnolia’s granddaughter, and assistant. She has the same kind of armband that the main trainer uses to Dynamax; does that imply she is also a Pokémon trainer and not just an assistant?

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Legendary Pokemon

Finally, the Direct ends with a showcase of the two boxed Legendary Pokémon. They are Zacian and Zamazenta, and they are both wolf Pokémon. Zamazenta has a large shield covering its body, while Zacian carries a sword Dark Soul-style.

In the footage at the end of the Direct, there’s a CG video showing Zacian and Zamazenta fighting against each other. They quickly stop and take notice of the rustling in the leaves. They stand back-to-back as if they are preparing to face against something together. What they are making for we don’t know. Are they about to meet a third Legendary or the evil Pokémon team that we have yet to see?

That’s all the hidden details we can spot in the Pokémon Direct for June 2019. Nevertheless, there may still be many more information that we have a miss. Keep checking to see to more on Pokémon Sword and Shield.