Pokémon Scarlet/Violet won't lock hairstyles and clothes behind genders

We’re less than a month away from the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and I for one am incredibly excited to set foot in the Paldea region and befriend a lil Fuecoco. Oh, and a Lechonk. And Fidough. Look, I love them all, okay?

Something that Pokémon games have been doing an increasingly good job with in recent years is adding a whole bunch of customisation options, allowing players to make unique protagonists who look more like them, and it sounds like that’s set to get even better. In a preview video from Good Vibes Gaming, it’s been confirmed that customisation options in Scarlet and Violet won’t be locked behind set genders, and can be switched up whenever you like during the game.

Check out our video preview for Scarlet and Violet right here!

“I asked how to change my gender, and the reps informed me that all customisation options are available to any player at any time. Instead of choosing a gender, players select from eight base styles, then customise from there - making gender an expression, not a selection,” Good Vibes Gaming said.

The video shows this in action with the hairstyle selection page - the player is able to choose from a variety of styles, of which there appear to be some traditionally masculine and feminine choices, as well as unisex options. The phrasing of “all customisation” implies that this is also the way for clothing options, and a report from Gayming Magazine suggests this, too.

All in all, this sounds pretty similar to the way Animal Crossing: New Horizons handled character customisation - the adorable 2020 life sim title had no limits on the clothes players could wear or the hairstyles they could use. New Horizons also used gender neutral pronouns for all players, but it hasn’t been confirmed if this will be the case for Scarlet and Violet, or if there’ll be an option to choose preferred pronouns instead.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on 18 November.