'Pokémon Sword and Shield:' Directors Talk Starters & Hint at Evolutions

With Pokémon Sword and Shield about a month away from release, the information regarding new Pokémon of the Galar region has been scarce.

Game Informer traveled to Japan to speak with Game Freak about the upcoming Gen 8 games, and there has been a lot revealed from those talks including auto-save, the return of some Pokémon and much more. However, the publication's latest series of videos concerns the Sword and Shield starters.

Sobble, Scorbunny and Grookey were revealed alongside the Gen 8 games, but since then we haven't learned much about them. Fans haven't seen any of their evolutions, and that has left many on the fence about which Starter Pokémon to choose.

Luckily, Game Informer asked Sword and Shield producer Junichi Masuda, director Shigeru Ohmori and art director James Turner all about the three starters and how they might change.

GROOKEY

The Grass-type starter Grookey has gained a cult-like following since its reveal. The "Grookey gang" may not be large, but they are vocal and are interested to learn more about the Grass-type monkey.

Ohmori explains that people who choose Grookey are those who like to party and have fun. Since Grookey is a "mood maker" he wants to make people happy.

When presented with the fact that there are other "monkey" Pokémon in the world the Game Freak team said that, like in the real world, there are many different species of monkeys. And as Grookey evolves, players will see how it's different from Chimchar, for example.

Watch Game Informer's Grookey interview below.

SCORBUNNY

The Pokémon community has been waited with equally bated breath for details about a Scorbunny evolution. They are curious to see if this energetic Pokémon will evolve into another Fire and Fighting-type Pokémon.

Game Informer's interview regarding this Starter Pokémon didn't go into details on the evolution, but they did reveal some interesting tidbits about the Fire rabbit.

Ohmori explained that the person who would pick Scorbunny is someone who "can keep up with it, and likes to run around." Scorbunny is one who will find itself getting into trouble, which is why players can see the patch over its nose like a band-aid.

In regards to its evolution, Ohmori says that "seeing the way it grows and evolves is very suspenseful. You never know which direction it's going to take."

Watch the Scorbunny interview below.

SOBBLE

The Water-type Sobble has quickly become one of the more popular choices in the Pokémon community because of its shy and sad nature.

Ohmore says, "the people that would choose Sobble are very kind and caring. They're good people."

Ohmori explains that it's rare for a Starter Pokémon to have a "meek" design and that in Japan there is a section of the population that thinks things are cute because they feel sorry for it. Game Freak was surprised at the positive reaction to Sobble outside of Japan.

In regards to Sobble's evolution, James Turner - who is picking the Water-type - teased that he likes the Pokémon's evolutions a lot. When Turner was asked what Sobble's evolutions look like he said he couldn't comment.

Ohmori also teased that, as players go through the Galar region, they will understand why these three Pokémon are the Starters.

Check out the Sobble interview below.

Pokémon Sword and Shield releases November 15 for Nintendo Switch.

What do you think of Game Informer's short series? Which starter will you choose? Let us know in the comments section.