Ever since Junichi Masuda dropped the bomb that every Pokemon won’t be returning for Pokemon Sword and Shield, the fanbase has been in shambles. Various images and hashtags have been spammed on every video and social media post put out by Pokemon since E3, and this trend doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
But today, Pokemon, or Masuda himself, put out an official statement addressed to all of the fans demanding to #BringbackNationalDex:
“Thank you to all of our fans for caring so deeply about Pokémon. Recently, I shared the news that some Pokémon cannot be transferred to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. I’ve read all your comments and appreciate your love and passion for Pokémon.
Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokémon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokémon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me. I’d like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.
The world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.”
This statement pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin for every Pokemon coming back in the upcoming eighth generation titles. Even though Masuda has made it clear that Pokemon left behind for Sword and Shield will eventually make a return in later games, it’s no less disappointing to see the favorites of some fans go.
Although this news may be hard to swallow for fans, the amount of Pokemon available for Sword and Shield isn’t an immediate disqualification to the games’ overall quality. From what we’ve seen so far, and what we’ve read from Masuda, it is clear that they are putting everything they have into Pokemon’s (main series) home console debut. There’s no use in complaining anymore about not having the full Pokedex available, since the decision already looks to be final.
Instead of spreading further negativity, let’s all just be patient and enjoy all of the new Pokemon and content that we’ll get to experience in just under five months.
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Images from Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Pokken Tournament, Ken Sugimori and The Pokemon Company International