Official Pokémon Sword and Shield speculation thread (Updated June 5th, 2019)

[Poneto]

There is a chance (but don't get your hopes high about it) that dynamax and gygantamax will simply replace megas and z-moves. So for example, a gygantamaxed mawile will just look like Mega mawile, will have the same ability and stats change, but will only last for three turn.

I'd really dislike that tbh.

 

[Poneto]

I know they always say this but I hope they stick to this and post game is actually for a change

"We've got a lot of content for players after the story ... except battle frontier lol"

 

[Boss1708]

I'd dare to say ORAS is the only time we ever HAD a good post-game.

 

[Amiti]

In case someone wanna hear the amazing trainer battle music.


View: https://youtu.be/z0OcNQNgYHU

 

[Matleo]

There is a chance (but don't get your hopes high about it) that dynamax and gygantamax will simply replace megas and z-moves. So for example, a gygantamaxed mawile will just look like Mega mawile, will have the same ability and stats change, but will only last for three turn.

you know how lame it sounds... I think that third instalment will bring them all back or they will be avable after beating the league Champion.

I hope that water gym leader will have more then 2 pokemon? at least in the anime should have more.

 

[nickdt]

Lol. I was really not excited seeing the Max Raid Battles. They took way too long when showcased gameplay wise and i lost interest and went off to do something else. Its a bad thing if you cannot keep your audience excited for a mechanic, since it means the mechanic is basically pointless, since they won't use it.

 

[Boss1708]

Lol. I was really not excited seeing the Max Raid Battles. They took way too long when showcased gameplay wise and i lost interest and went off to do something else. Its a bad thing if you cannot keep your audience excited for a mechanic, since it means the mechanic is basically pointless, since they won't use it.

You know you dislike Max Raid Battles when you can't even watch an entire Max Raid Battle the very first time they showcased the feature. Same happened to me.

It's probably the worst and sloooowest battle feature I've seen in any Pokémon game.

 

[Joker901]

you know how lame it sounds... I think that third instalment will bring them all back or they will be avable after beating the league Champion.

I hope that water gym leader will have more then 2 pokemon? at least in the anime should have more.

The fact is that It looks like they want to get rid of megas and z-moves. This is different from having them but not being able to use them in vgc like It was for s/m with megas. Dynamax seems to be created to litterally replace previous mechanics, being basically a combo of megas and z-moves that only last for three turns and can be achieved by any pokemon...

 

[RileyXY1]

The fact is that It looks like they want to get rid of megas and z-moves. This is different from having them but not being able to use them in vgc like It was for s/m with megas. Dynamax seems to be created to litterally replace previous mechanics, being basically a combo of megas and z-moves that only last for three turns and can be achieved by any pokemon...

This would mean that they can't remake XY or SM without drastically modifying the region's lore, but that is not a problem that they are facing at the current moment.

 

[nickdt]

This would mean that they can't remake XY or SM without drastically modifying the region's lore, but that is not a problem that they are facing at the current moment.

Well... no, because they can always make it so Mega's is gonna be Kalos exclusive now in the future and not have them in the SUMO game code at all, while those regions don't have Dynamax as a feature. Thats the thing i think Gamefreak needs to do from now on: Just make every battle mechanic region exclusive.

 

[Bittersweet]

But... Contrary to most of you, the one thing I actually don't mind regarding SwSh sofar, is Game Freak's decision to start rotating their Pokémon roster from now on, instead of having all Pokémon available in all games (which I find a bit... repetitive). I am aware I am in the minority here. But as a person with OCD, I always tend to use my favourite Pokémon in every game and playthrough where I can (see on my signature), because I just WANNA use them, if they are available.

So I appreciate Game Freak forcing me to choose from a more limited roster, as it forces me to get out of my comfort zone a little, and use a few Pokémon that I otherwise wouldn't. Though, I do hope at least half of my favourites (Charizard, Metagross and Salamence) are always available xD

I don't mind being forced to use new Pokemon or Pokemon I wouldn't normally use either... but if their goal is to force players to choose from a more limited roster instead of relying on old staples, they could do that by simply cutting off the ability to withdraw from HOME until the post-game and not including legacy-Pokemon in the regional 'dex at all (like in Black and White, which featured no returning Pokemon in its regional Pokedex at all.)

 

[BackSet]

I'd dare to say ORAS is the only time we ever HAD a good post-game.

I didn't hate the Looker episode of xy.

 

[Boss1708]

I didn't hate the Looker episode of xy.

I agree. The Looker episode was so much better than the main game plot.

Credit where credit is due.

 

[Joker901]

I don't mind being forced to use new Pokemon or Pokemon I wouldn't normally use either... but if their goal is to force players to choose from a more limited roster instead of relying on old staples, they could do that by simply cutting off the ability to withdraw from HOME until the post-game and not including legacy-Pokemon in the regional 'dex at all (like in Black and White, which featured no returning Pokemon in its regional Pokedex at all.)

Your first point is basically what they did till now. Your second point is impossible because we won't have more than 100 new pokemon and Galar is way too big for just 80-90 pokemon...It would feel empty or rebundand.
Your are missing the real point: they wanted the games this year and they had no time to work on all the mons. No other reason should be taken seriously...

 

[KrisiChiki]

If Mega Evolution is not coded into the game then I might as well keep my Pokemon in UltraMoon where I can use it, along with Z-moves. I guess that fixes the Home/Pokedex issue in SWSH...

Right now I’m thinking of skipping SWSH and waiting for the “third version” which might include the missing content along with new things.

I do want to play through Galar, but I don’t really want to spend money on a game that has a significant amount of things/changes I don’t like (or a lack of things I like). Unless subsequent reveals showcase some really cool things that make up for the disappointment I feel right now.

 

[Bittersweet]

Your first point is basically what they did till now.

Not really; you have access to Bank in XY, ORAS, SuMo, and Ultra SuMo as soon as you get the Pokedex– you can even use Pokemon that don't even exist in Alola's Pokedex at all right from the beginning. There's not really any real restrictions at all.

Your second point is impossible because we won't have more than 100 new pokemon and Galar is way too big for just 80-90 pokemon...It would feel empty

I know, I'm saying it doesn't make sense to say that their goal with cutting out older Pokemon was to stop people relying on old faithfuls because if it was, they wouldn't have decided that popular ones go in and less popular ones don't. If it was their goal to get people to use new or less popular Pokemon, then Sword and Shield would've been designed like BW was.

 

[Joker901]

Not really; you have access to Bank in XY, ORAS, SuMo, and Ultra SuMo as soon as you get the Pokedex– you can even use Pokemon that don't even exist in Alola's Pokedex at all right from the beginning. There's not really any real restrictions at all.



I know, I'm saying it doesn't make sense to say that their goal with cutting out older Pokemon was to stop people relying on old faithfuls because if it was, they wouldn't have decided that popular ones go in and less popular ones don't. If it was their goal to do that, then Sword and Shield would've been designed like BW was.

Bank was released 3-5 months after x/y. So in x/y you actually could transfer pokemon after a couple of months from release (unless you bought the games after several months from release). What I meant is that they did It already...

 

[Vyrron]

I don't like being a pessimist, but if Gamefreak manages to get away with all of this, then I'd be worried for the future of Pokemon games.

Clearly they're starting to realize that as consoles are getting more powerful, making games for them also gets more demanding. Right now, with their current staff, they just can't sustain a yearly release schedule with all the content from past games included. So they decided to take the easiest and most profitable route: cutting content instead of hiring more people and/or increasing their development cycles.

So what does that mean for future games? Increasingly less content and more flashy but hollow features like Dynamax to attract impressionable kids as they struggle to release new games every year? Or anti-consumer third versions with access to cut content marketed as a new feature? I don't like the sound of any of that to be honest.

 

[Blast]

Going back to the Famitsu interview with Masuda and Ōmori, it sounds to me like they're planning to add in the other Pokémon in future games using Pokémon Home. Just not all of them in one single game at the same time. It will depend on the game what Pokémon you can take with you from Pokémon Home. However, they've not decided anything about future updates yet.

My own translation of the Japanese interview:

Spoiler: Original interview with my translation

Q:「（ソフトの発売段階で）ガラル図鑑に出てこないポケモンは、その後のアップデートで追加されることはあるのでしょうか。」
"Will Pokémon not in the Galar Pokédex be added to the games in future updates?"

「今後のアップデート等については未定です。ただ、『ポケットモンスター ソード・シールド』には登場させられなくとも、『Pokemon Home』を介して、今後のタイトルで活躍させようとは考えています。決して、ないがしろにはしないつもりです。」
"Everything in regards to future updates is undecided. But, even if we don't let [the Pokémon] appear in Pokémon Sword and Shield, we are thinking about letting them participate actively in future titles. It is not my intention to take [this matter] lightly in the slightest."

Q:「今後の展望をお聞きしたいのですが、たとえば、『ポケットモンスター ソード・シールド』でグラフィックを作ったポケモンは、そのデータを活かしてつぎのタイトルでも出てくることはあるのでしょうか。」
"Looking forward, would for example Pokémon with graphics created in Pokémon Sword and Shield use this data and also appear in the next title(s)?"

「それを含め、現在検討中ではあります。ただ、メガシンカやダイマックスのような（すべてのポケモンに関わるような）新たな仕様を入れるとなると、そこに対する別のグラフィックの制作やバトルの調整が生じますので厳しいところではあります。」
"Including that [option], we are currently investigating [the possibilites]. But, if we include new features (that affect every single Pokémon) like Mega Evolution and Dynamaxing, it will become diffucult [to program] with all the seperate graphic productions and battle adjustments that arise."

Q:「現ハードの水準に達したグラフィックのポケモンをシリーズの展開に合わせて随時増やしていくのではなくて、あくまでも、そのタイトルに合ったポケモンを『Pokemon Home』から連れてこられるようにするというわけですね。」
"So that means that you won't be adding up the Pokémon that have graphics created for the level of the current system to the expansion of the Pokémon series and keep increasing their number all the time, but that players will be able to take the Pokémon that fit with that [specific] title from Pokémon Home, right?"

「そうですね。『Pokemon Home』に皆さんのポケモンを連れてきていただいて、そこからいろいろなタイトルにお出かけしていく感覚になると思います。ポケモンの気持ち的に言いますと、「この地方は寒いから、お留守番しているね」という感じですね。また、『Pokemon Home』に関しては、何かしらの遊びを用意したいとも考えています。」
"That's right. It'll feel like players take their Pokémon from Pokémon Home and set out to different titles from there. Putting it in the words of how a Pokémon would feel: "Because that region's weather is cold, I'll be sitting house here", or something like that. With regards to Pokémon home, we are also thinking of preparing some kind of play [feature]."

Q:「たとえば、『ポケットモンスター』シリーズ以外の派生タイトルにも連れて行けるようになるのでしょうか。」
"For example, would it be possible to take [the Pokémon] to spin offs titles outside of the main series games?"

「構想はありますので、将来的には考えていきたいと思っています。」
"There's quite a lot [of spin offs], so that's something I would like to think about going forward."

 

[Joker901]

I don't like being a pessimist, but if Gamefreak manages to get away with all of this, then I'd be worried for the future of Pokemon games.

Clearly they're starting to realize that as consoles are getting more powerful, making games for them also gets more demanding. Right now, with their current staff, they just can't sustain a yearly release schedule with all the content from past games included. So they decided to take the easiest and most profitable route: cutting content instead of hiring more people and/or increasing their development cycles.

So what does that mean for future games? Increasingly less content and more flashy but hollow features like Dynamax to attract impressionable kids as they struggle to release new games every year? Or anti-consumer third versions with access to cut content marketed as a new feature? I don't like the sound of any of that to be honest.

I doubt we will have less contents. From what we have seen so far, we have already more content than before.
About the mons being cut off, well, that's true, they had to make a decision to reach the deadline and they decided to cut the pokemon. I honestly prefer this rather than having two games that lack of any major improvement, but I understand some people would have prefered something else.
That said, again, this has nothing to do with them being lazy. They actually work pretty hard considering the games schedule of the past years.
The problem is that they just can't keep going like this. If you have too many projects, too many deadlines and a team that cannot make miracles you basically do what you can ---> you are alone and to replace a gym you create a stupid trial where you have to find the obvious differences...
This problem did not appeared two days ago. It's years I'm aware they just do what they can and not what they would like to.