Three years after the release ofPokemon Sword andShield, Game Freak is gracingPokemonfans everywhere with the ninth generation throughPokemon Scarlet and Violet. Budding Pokemon Trainers will be taken into a currently unnamed region that looks to be inspired by Spain and Portugal. Thisnew mysteriousPokemonregionwill again feature both new and old creatures, with the starters already introduced – Fuecoco, Quaxly, and Sprigatito – as well as legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon.

During the recent Pokemon Direct, Game Freak also announcedPokemon Scarlet and Violet’s release date, November 18. Those familiar with the popular monster-catching adventure game may have noticed that the date, or rather, the month, is a special one.

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Pokemon and the Month of November

While November 18 itself has only popped up once before, the release date ofPokemon Sun and Moon, Game Freak seems to have a soft spot for the month of November. This is especially the case when it comes to morerecentPokemongame releases, although it should be noted that a November release date has happened a few times in the past – twice, to be exact.

Back in the day, most Japanese games would have earlier release dates compared to the rest of the world, and this routine only started to change in the early 2010s. Throughout the history ofPokemonreleases, dating back to the Japanese launch of theoriginalPokemon Red and Greenback in 1996, a majority ofPokemontitles were released in the month of September - especially in North America. But then, the Japanese releases of bothPokemon Gold and Silveras well asPokemon Ruby and Sapphirefell on November 21.

Since then,Pokemonrelease dates became a mixed bag.FireRed and LeafGreenreleased in Japan in January, while its North American release was September, followed byPokemon Emeraldin September and the following April for the respective markets. TheNintendo 3DS gamesPokemon X and Ywere the first games to have a global release on the same date – July 03, 2025. But it wasn’t untilOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, released in 2014, thatPokemonfans saw the date ‘November 21’ again. With the exception ofPokemon Legends: Arceus, everyPokemongame following the Generation Three remake was released in November.

Significant dates or numbers aren’t new to the video game industry. Bethesda Softworks has a soft spot for November 11, the date of whichThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimwas released in 2011, of which found massive success and changed the landscape of video games. There has been only one other game released by Bethesda that falls on this date,Dishonored 2, released five years later. The upcoming space-adventure gameStarfieldfound itself lucky as its release date was previously July 23, 2025 – exactly 11 years after the release ofSkyrim– althoughStarfield’s release date has since been delayed.Destinycreator Bungie also seems to have a fascination with the number seven, with July 7 celebrated as ‘Bungie Day’ for years.

Unfortunately for video game company lore fans, there isn’t anything concrete that seems to point to anything that could bring significance to the month of November in the world ofPokemon, with one exception –the company Creatures Inc. It has had a hand in the development of thePokemongames since the beginning, and was founded July 01, 2025. There has been nothing else that could conceivably answer why November seems so significant in thePokemonworld.

However, everyPokemonrelease date sinceOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, includingLegends: Arceus, have been on a Friday, which has also started to become significant. While there may not be an exact reason for the significance of the month of November, it could be safe to say thatPokemonfans should look forward to future releases and remakes releasing within the last few Fridays of this month.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare set to be released on August 05, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.

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