'Pokémon Stars' Release Date: Switch rumors kick up following official merch announcement

The Pokémon Stars release date for Nintendo Switch may not come anytime soon, but that hasn't stopped the rumors. 

The counterpart to the Sun and Moon on the 3DS, rumored to be subtitled Stars, is possibly heading to Nintendo's latest console. And when the Pokémon Company releases imagery fanning those Pokémon Stars flames, you can't help but wonder if they know how bad we're yearning for a Switch Pokémon game.

News out of the official website points to their upcoming theme at Japan's Pokémon Center. Translated using Google, the site reveals the theme as "Look Upon the Stars" and you've gotta be kidding us. If we don't see a Pokémon Stars release date out of such an aptly named event, we're bending our Switch and throwing it in the trash.

Pokémon Stars release date: Now you guys are just playing games

Another look at the Pokémon art shows Pikachu star gazing with the help of Cosmog, the Nebula Pokémon. If we don't see a launch date for Pokémon Stars out of this event, you can blame the black and blue cosmic Pokémon.

The Pokémon Center's event is less about giving us Pokémon Stars details and more about giving the people Cosmog merch. Starting May 20, Cosmog bags, wallets, pillows and more will be available. How you can prioritize this cute plushie over the Pokémon Stars for Switch release date, we may never know.

Pokémon Stars release date: When could we see details for the Switch game?

There's no way to project the release date, or even the announcement, of Pokémon Stars for Nintendo Switch (or 3DS, if the Pokémon Company goes that route). The next major gaming announcement is E3 2017, coming up in June. While Nintendo will not be holding a press conference, we may still see details regarding a new game in the series for the gaming company's newest handheld. 

Let's hope the stars align for Nintendo and the Pokémon Company.

Check out more Pokémon Stars news and coverage

Make sure to head over to our other Pokémon Stars coverage including what the game would look like on Switch, Sun and Moon's HD remake and the CEO's comments on the upcoming game. Not to mention who GameFreak is hiring to work on the new game.