Historically speaking, Pokémon and DLC are two words that no fan of the series would ever expect to see appear in the same sentence.
There is, of course, a first time for everything and Game Freak, at long last, appears to have learned of the business model’s appeal. Earlier today, the developer confirmed that Sword and Shield will be the first games in the franchise to receive downloadable content in the form of two expansion packs. The Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra are due to launch this summer and fall respectively, bringing with them a wealth of playable content including, unsurprisingly – brand new Pokémon.
While Game Freak says further details for both add-ons will be discussed at a later date, the trailer shown during today’s Direct confirms that both will also introduce new areas to explore and previously unavailable Gigantamax forms.
Speaking of which, you can check out two of the new arrivals below:
Ever since data miners discovered that files for both Squirtle and Bulbasaur were present in Sword and Shield‘s game files, fans have been wondering when (or even if) Game Freak would ever make use of the Gen 1 classics.
Now, it seems, the studio had always planned to introduce the pair as part of future DLC. While we’re not entirely sure which expansion Venusaur and Blastoise’s Gigantamax forms will be added with, it’s likely the case that each will be divided and made exclusive to one version. At this early stage, that’s little more than speculation, but whatever the method of implementation, fans disappointed that only Charizard made the cut for Sword and Shield‘s initial release will be over the moon with this latest revelation.
Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s Expansion Pass is available for pre-order now on the Nintendo eShop for $29,99.
