Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be a "new evolutionary step" in the series

gamesradar.com:

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be a "new evolutionary step" in the series, according to Nintendo. 

In a tweet promoting the recently announced game, Nintendo of America said: "A new evolutionary step in the Pokémon series, in Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet you’ll be able to freely explore a rich open world." 

Nintendo also gave us a crumb of information about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet by describing it as: "A world filled with towns & cities that blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders," before reminding eager fans of its "late 2022" release date. 

A new evolutionary step in the Pokémon series, in Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet you’ll be able to freely explore a rich open world. A world filled with towns & cities that blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders!#PokemonScarletViolet is arriving in late 2022. pic.twitter.com/xULy0mGV0LMarch 7, 2022

This tweet is obviously just to promote the upcoming game and doesn’t give us much to go off, but it’s still interesting that Nintendo is describing the game as a "new evolutionary step" in the series. 

Although it appears to be following the same formula as the Pokemon games that came before it (eg: Sword and Shield, Sun and Moon, etc.) we wouldn’t be surprised if Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take inspiration from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which released earlier this year. 

Both games were labeled as "open world" during the lead-up to their release. Those who have played Legends: Arceus will already know that that didn’t technically end up being the case. Instead of being truly open-world, Pokemon Legends: Arceus instead has open world segments, as later confirmed by The Pokemon Company a few months before the game’s release. 

As for Scarlet and Violet