Pokémon Sword and Shield are out in a matter of days, though the usual abundance of pre-release hype appears to be missing for this year’s continuation of the series.
Why is that? Well for starters, some folks who’ve managed to get their hands on early copies of the Switch exclusives have already provided a number of details. In fact, those not bothered by spoilers have already laid eyes on the entirety of Galar’s Pokédex. Leaks of this nature for each new iteration of the franchise are nothing new, of course, though one specific revelation has caused some upset among longtime fans.
For the first time in its twenty-year plus history, Sword and Shield will be the first mainline Pokémon games not to feature a National Pokédex. Game Freak first broke that news at this year’s E3 but only by way of the aforementioned leaks do we have a final tally on how many Pokémon will appear in Sword and Shield. With new and old ‘Mons combined, a total of 400 creatures will be obtainable in Galar, a far cry from the 900+ that are now known to exist.
That news has gone down like a lead balloon in the days since, but the developer clearly isn’t bothered by the outrage. In a recent interview with Inside Gamer, series producer Junichi Masuda confirmed that the new approach will continue with future installments.
Speaking of the decision, Masuda said, “That is an approach that we want to continue in the future with Pokémon games,” while adding that next year’s Pokémon Home service will serve as the new home for players’ entire collections.
“We encourage people to use Pokémon Home to collect their Pokémon from their old games. From there, they might be able to make it to other games in the future. So take good care of your old Pokémon, because you might be able to go out with them again in the future.”
Not what fans were hoping to hear, then, and ultimately, it’s up to Game Freak’s discretion whether your favorite characters will ever make a return down the line.
