Ever since Pokémon Red & Blue came out on the Game Boy, fans of the series (us included) have been begging for a main console Pokémon game. While we've certainly come close with titles like Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness, we've never had a fully traditional Pokémon RPG title that we can play on our TVs.

However, that is all about to change. Nintendo announced at E3 2017 that Game Freak was already hard at work for a core Pokémon title on the Switch. Apart from that, there isn't much we know about the game, but the fact that it's already in development has us chomping at the bit.

We anxiously await any more information about the game, but for now, we have plenty of rumors to follow. While you should take these with a grain of salt, they do point toward this console Pokémon game being a heavy hitter that would follow suit with Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.

Here are 15 Pokémon Switch rumors that will blow your mind.

15 Pokémon Stars

This is the big rumor that's been going around for some time. Before E3 2017 and the Pokémon Direct that came before that, there was a lot of hinting and speculation that Pokémon Stars, the enhanced version of Sun & Moon was in the works for Nintendo's hybrid console. However, those rumors were quickly shut down when it was announced that Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon were the next titles in the series.

However, that doesn't mean that Stars is down for the count. For all we know, Game Freak could be planning a full HD version of the Alola Region on the Switch. Seeing as how the environments are different and varied, it would give them a great opportunity to create a beautiful game. While fans may not like traveling through the same place a third time, it could work with the right amount of care.

14 Pokémon Partners

One of the most missed features of the entire series comes from HeartGold & SoulSilver. In those games, there were sprites created for every single Pokémon. These sprites were used to allow the first Pokémon in your party to follow you around the overworld, similar to Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow. However, this mechanic hasn't returned.

There is data in Sun & Moon that contains fully rendered walking animations for all of the Pokémon ever created, leading many to believe that this feature was planned to be in the game, but cut due to hardware constraints. Having the next title on the Switch means that Game Freak would have much more freedom to include this feature, and we'd love to see it return.

13 New UI

Ever since Pokémon made the jump to the Nintendo DS, the battle and user interfaces received a significant overhaul. The dual screens allowed for easy management and dual focus as players battled and journeyed.

However, with the upcoming Switch game, Game Freak is going to have to rethink how they go about this feature. The device has only one screen, meaning they can't reuse their old design. Personally, we hope that they don't go with how it functioned on the GameBoy, as sifting through those menus was always a clunky experience, but we're not sure how else it could be done.

12 New Engine

When crafting a new Pokémon game, Game Freak has always been well-known for using the same engine over several years. Now that they're jumping to different hardware, that opens the door for them to create a new engine to craft the game.

That being said, they could easily port the Sun & Moon engine over to the Switch and just enhance it with HD textures and visuals. However, considering how the big games on the hybrid console try to rethink old concepts, we doubt that would be the case. By building a new engine, they could push the graphics to their limits, and give us the gorgeous Pokémon game we've been craving.

11 Diamond & Pearl Remake

Another thing that Game Freak isn't a stranger to doing is remaking their older titles. We've already had FireRed & LeafGreen, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. At this point, it's only a matter of time before we see Diamond & Pearl get the same treatment.

A lot of speculation has pointed to this remake debuting on the Switch. After all, it would be a good way to get people invested in the title from the get-go. Many Pokémon fans played Diamond & Pearl as their first titles in the series (that makes the rest of us old), so bringing it to a new console could increase sales.

10 New Generation

This is something that's been talked about in regard to the new game, but one that we're not so sure about. Some have stated that a new generation of Pokémon could already be in the works for the new Switch game.

The reason we don't buy this is because Sun & Moon is still running in the anime department, and Generation Seven hasn't even been out for a year. It would be much too early to start creating new Pokémon when Game Freak could just focus all of their time and energy into developing the game itself. That being said, we've been wrong before.

9 Sequel To Colosseum And XD

Another interesting rumor that's been floating around is that this new game could, in fact, be a sequel to Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness. After all, those were about as close as Game Freak ever got to a complete core RPG title on a home console.

That being said, there would be a lot of changes for this new entry in that series. For starters, wild Pokémon would have to be accessible, Shadow Pokémon would have to be reworked, and players would have to manually travel from town to town rather than just jumping from one place to another. With that in mind, there's a lot of potential to continue in the Orre Region.

8 Pokémon Bank Support

This is a feature that has not only been discussed, but has to be in the new game. Game Freak has always ensured that after going on your new adventure in a different region, there's way to bring over your old Pokémon.

The way they're doing this nowadays is through Pokémon Bank. As this Pokémon game on Switch furthers in development, it's likely that they will incorporate this app into the game. After all, if they prevent anyone from bringing their old Pokémon over, then there will be severe backlash. People are attached to their oldest Pokémon. I still have my Swampert from Pokémon Emerald that's over ten years old.

7 More Online Functionality

As the Pokémon series has progressed, Game Freak has placed more emphasis on expanding the online community. No longer will players tethered with link cables cut it. Now we have online trading, online play, and more. Pokémon X and Y revolutionized the online scene by having the Player Search System where you could communicate, battle, or trade with friends, people you've interacted with before, and total strangers!

However, with the console experience that is the Switch, there have been rumors that Game Freak could take the Pokémon online community even further. Whether this will mean being able to adventure with your friends, set up tournaments, or something else entirely, we're excited at the prospect of seeing the Nintendo Network integrated with this new game.

6 New Mechanics

Because people state that the Pokémon formula does get stale, Game Freak has made sure they introduce enough different mechanics each generation that they keep things fresh. Breeding, Shiny Pokémon, and Mega Evolution are all prime examples of this.

When crafting an elite game for a home console, it's not hard to imagine that Game Freak will try incorporating some new mechanics into it. They'll want the experience to be the quintessential Pokémon game, and if they just give us more of the same, it will lessen the overall impact of how truly great this title could be. That's not to say that it would ruin the game as a whole, it would just be a missed opportunity to push this game to its limits.

5 Built from the Ground Up

During the small video of Nintendo's Spotlight about Game Freak making the new Pokémon game, it showed one of the creators working on a piece of paper (probably scribbling if you ask me). While this might've just been a message that they're hard at work, some have speculated that this hints at how they're handling the development.

Some believe that they're building this new Pokémon game from the ground up. While it's unclear if this is the case or not, it's certainly an interesting thing to think about. No doubt they'll use pre-existing assets to make the game, but in terms of the environments, textures, and everything else, it's not hard to imagine that they could construct the title from scratch.

4 Multiplayer

Because of how modular the Switch is, it lends itself extremely well to multiplayer. Even if you never buy more controllers after you get a Switch, you can still play with one another person out of the gate. Because of this, even games like Super Mario Odyssey are incorporating this multiplayer aspect.

We've speculated that this could lead to some multiplayer functionality in the Pokémon Switch game. While it will probably be small rather than having another person join in on the action, the fact that it's there will be a nice addition in and of itself. What would be even cooler is if two people had Switches, they could play together on the same world, interact with one another, and engage in double battles in the overworld.

3 Competitive LAN Play

After games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and ARMS have come out, Nintendo has shown that not only are they competent enough to handle the online scene, but they can do LAN and local connections really well too.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that this carries over into how they handle Pokémon for the Switch. While the standard stuff would be there like battling, trading and more, we think that they could use this to take off even further. What if they had a setup like ARMS where they would match up a room of people in different battles? Another thing they could do is further expand the Festival Plaza to allow for multiple people to play together.

2 Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon HD

While much of the speculation has pointed to the new Pokémon game being incredible, there's a chance that Game Freak could take a safer approach in order to guarantee themselves a decent level of sales.

Shortly after Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon were announced, there was a brief listing for a Switch version of these games. While Game Freak has quickly denied this, there are some people thinking that this was just a ruse to lead us off their trail. There's still a big chance that they could just bring the gorgeous setting of the Alola Region to the Switch by just having the "best way to experience" the newest games. While this wouldn't leave much incentive for fans, Switch owners will enjoy it.

1 2018 Release Date

There were a few games shown off at E3 2017 that were only confirmed to be in development rather than us getting any solid release dates. Among these was the Pokémon Switch title.

Quickly after it was announced, many people were wondering when this game would be coming out, or when we would be hearing more information about it. There have been some rumors that both the Pokémon Switch game and Metroid Prime 4 would be coming out sometime next year. While we think this is a bit hard to believe, as both of those games would be heavy hitters for the console, there's no denying that Nintendo is putting together a killer lineup of games for their hybrid system. Our bodies are ready.