The latest patch for both Pokémon games seems to have the unfortunate side effect of deleting player’s save files in some cases.
Nintendo released an update for the games yesterday which gave interconnectivity between Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Pokémon Go. It allowed players to send postcards between the games, a few other additions, and bug fixes that were also included within the update.
However, many players reported issues when trying to use the postcard feature which connects the games with Pokémon Go. Truthfully, the whole ordeal seemed to cause their “save files” to become corrupted. This is surely not fun when you’ve spent hours collecting and training your team only for it to be wiped away in a matter of seconds — not to mention all of the shinies that were probably lost to the aether. The problem was first brought to light on Reddit, where a Redditor posted about how their file, which they had played for 595 hours, had become corrupted. In the aftermath of the post, dozens responded to the original post claiming the same had happened to them after connecting with Pokémon Go.
Most reports suggest that the postcard feature was the sole cause of the bug. Those who downloaded the update, but didn’t use it, were safest from the corruption. However, some were able to send multiple postcards before their game became corrupted whilst others claim they had their saves wiped after they downloaded the DLC.
With that said, Nintendo have yet to comment on the situation despite many fans reaching out for answers.
Those who have downloaded the update are keeping away from the postcard feature and DLC to be safe. However, for some it is too late and the damage has been done. If you haven’t downloaded the update yet, maybe give it a few more days to see what happens before risking it.
