When Nintendo and Game Freak confirmed not all Pokemon from the National Pokedex would be making it into Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, you could say the fanbase got pretty upset. The backlash was noticeable enough that producer Junichi Masuda has shared a message to fans.
You can find Masuda’s entire message below:
Thank you to all of our fans for caring so deeply about Pokemon. Recently, I shared the news that some Pokemon cannot be transferred to Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. I’ve read all your comments and appreciate your love and passion for Pokemon.
Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokemon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokemon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me. I’d like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokemon is not available in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.
The world of Pokemon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokemon 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.
June 28, 2019
Junichi Masuda
In case you missed it, you can find our thorough hands-on preview for Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield from this year’s E3 here.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are both launching on November 15th, for Nintendo Switch.
