Pokémon Sword and Shield release date: Nintendo reveals more details about upcoming Switch game, including when it will come out and Dynamax

Direct shows off huge stadiums and multiplayer collaboration

Nintendo has revealed new details about the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield.

The new game will come out on 15 November all around the world, the company said for the first time, while revealing a host of new information about how it will actually work.

The announcements came during one of Nintendo's regular Direct livestreams, during which developers finally shed more light on what will be the first time the RPG series will come to a console.

Perhaps the most surprising new addition was the Dynamax system. That will allow players to temporarily turn their pokemon into huge versions of themselves, giving them extra powers.

Developers also revealed that the game will include collaborative multiplayer, where players will be able to work together to take down one of those huge creatures. The feature sounds something like the raid modes that are found in other games – where players work together to complete a difficult level – together taking on a supercharged pokemon.

New creatures were also shown off. The most dramatic of them were Zacian and Zamazenta, two legendary pokemon that look to be designed around the sword and shield theme of the game – but which are still largely mysterious, with players being teased that they will find out more about them when the game is finally released.

Sword and Shield were first revealed in February, when Nintendo only said they would arrive towards the end of the year. The game will be developed by Gamefreak and available only on the Switch.

It takes place in a world called Galar, based on an England that includes verdant countryside as well as modern cities.