The next generation of Pokémon games has finally been announced: Pokémon Sword & Shield will be coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2019. The trailer for Pokémon Sword & Shield showed a brand new region called Galar, which appears to be based on the United Kingdom.

The trailer for Pokémon Sword & Shield included a shot of the map of the Galar region, which offered some tantalizing glimpses at the buildings & locations that will appear in the game. One of the buildings stood out more than others, as it resembles a certain famous wizarding school that may make an appearance in Pokémon Sword & Shield. 

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There is a building with a clocktower that appears near the top of the Galar region map, which is presumably part of the area where the player will challenge the Elite Four and the Champion of the region. This building bears a striking resemblance to Hogwarts from the Harry Potter franchise. You might think this building is the one that has the Big Ben-style clock tower shown in the trailer, but that location appears further down on the map as part of an industrial town.

The Real-Life Inspiration For Hogwarts

The first reaction you might have to this theory is that J.K. Rowling's lawyers would lay siege to the offices of Game Freak if it were true, but Hogwarts school was actually inspired by a real place. Harry Potter fans will likely know that Hogwarts can be found in Scotland, which is also true of Gordonstoun, which is a boarding school that can also be found in Scotland and is famous for including several members of the British royal family amongst its alumni.

The map of the Galar region isn't 100% to scale with the real United Kingdom, but it would make sense for a Hogwarts/Gordonstoun school to be at the top of the map near where Scotland would be.

Harry Potter Appeals To A Worldwide Audience

The Harry Potter franchise is absolutely huge in Japan, to the point where Osaka is one of the few places in the world to have a Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park. It would be strange for the creators of Pokémon Sword & Shield to not include a reference to the series in a region that is based on the United Kingdom and there are more than enough mystical Pokémon in existence already that could find their home in a wizarding school.

It's also possible that the location is a reference to the Houses of Parliament, as there are other landmarks near it that suggest the unnamed city is based on London, but there are also locations further south of the map that should be there as well (like the clock tower or the building that resembles a royal palace in the center of the map), so it's difficult to say for sure.

Will the Elite Four of Galar count a sorcerer or sorceress among their number? Will the Hogwarts-esque castle be filled with magical or Ghost-type Pokémon, like Kadabra or Haunter? We won't have to wait long to find out, as Pokémon Sword & Shield are due to be released later this year.

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