Official Pre-Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield Speculation & Leaks thread

[Riahi]

It is true, I hate Go. I've been worried about a game like this for awhile now, and all of the new leaks and rumors suggest that is exactly what we're getting. I spent a ton of time building competetive teams and hatching shinys in SM, and now I feel like it was all for not, and I will not be able to transfer them into this game. I feel as though casual Go! users would have a gigantic leg up on me, and at the very least, one would have to play Go! also in order to maximize rewards. It's frustrating being a longtime fan and seeing the franchise I enjoy taking such a drastic turn. I also think many people are underestimating how much Go! will factor into these games.

I don't like Go either but there is no reason to think it will take up the traditional pokemon gameplay

 

[Knightwolf09]

Of course but it's still incredible even if you cut them to 200 milions. Guys, "Let's Go Pikachu" GF clearly wants some of those milions of people.

Just cause the share one word, and one is from a phrase, I doubt it has much to do with GO

 

[Joker901]

Just cause the share one word, and one is from a phrase, I doubt it has much to do with GO

If you don't count that "Go" in the Pikachu logo is made with a "g" and a pokeball, which is basically Pokemon go logo.

 

[Oriden]

If you don't count that "Go" in the Pikachu logo is made with a "g" and a pokeball, which is basically Pokemon go logo.

That could just be coincidental, though- fitting a round object inside an O isn't the most original of ideas. Just ask Walmart.

 

[RileyXY1]

I don't like Go either but there is no reason to think it will take up the traditional pokemon gameplay

I hope that it doesn't. I would hate to see the franchise be overcasualized.

 

[Joker901]

Guys, I'm not here to force you see things as I do...The Go reference is too clear for me to be ignored but maybe it's just me.

 

[Johnny Boy]

It would be really scummy if they lock later gen Pokemon behind paywalls to begin with. If they force me to pay real money for a game I already paid for just to be able to catch Riolu from the wild then I lost all hope of them recovering.

Arceus help us all if they decide to prevent us from getting around the pay wall via Pokemon Bank. That would truly be financial suicide.

 

[Velvet]

I just want LGPE to be more engaging and captivating compared to SuMO and USUM, I want to actually finish them rather than toss them aside.

 

[William-Jdubz]

Why would they have clafairy and jigglypuff as the only fairy pokemon but not have steel types or dark types since it's only the og 151 mons? This leak is so fake holy shit

We still have magnemite and magneton fear not XD

 

[Team Gaara]

Most people who play GO long-term are actually people who are legitimate Pokemon fans. Casual players of a mobile game are never gonna be GF's target ~ There's no reason to think GF is thinking that by putting GO elements in a main series game that casual fans would even know about it, much less seek out to buy it, which is why they aren't gonna be marketing any game primarily to them.

 

[MissingName]

Not really. My friends that still play go are not Pokémon fan, they simply play it because they liked the first gens but they don’t play 3ds games or switch and they don’t even know how many gens are there

 

[Spinjira]

The download count, while important, isn't what gamefreak is looking at. Just this week Pokemon Go is the number 2 grossing app. While many think the app is dead the player base is still bringing a steady stream of cash. While I don't think GameFreak will bring micro transactions to the mainline series games I believe they're studying what Go is doing to continually engage people week to week.

I believe that we will see a greater emphasis on community driven events. And not like that asymmetrical "catch a million pokemon" garbage we saw in SuMo. Like in game events where you and friends will team up to complete objectives, catch mythic/legendary pokemon, beat the bad guys etc. I don't think it will be exactly like pokemon go because I can't see how a 100 or more people working together simultaneously on the switch is feasible but you will could team up with friends to complete stuff. Maybe groups of 4 or 8 because pokemon tends to continually be about those numbers. Double battles through dungeons, hunt down mythic pokemon in certain areas etc. I really think the events in pokemon are about to become a bigger deal. And if this happens we can thank Go for its influence.

 

[William-Jdubz]

I initially wasn’t intending to get these games but due to the mass hysteria and “fans” acting like the apocalypse is about to happen and world destruction is ensured, I think I’ll get the game and really enjoy what’s to come lol

Enjoy those tears boys <3

 

[Oriden]

I hope that it doesn't. I would hate to see the franchise be overcasualized.

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it- Pokemon GO's gameplay isn't really suitable for a main series game. The method of throwing pokeballs, possibly (although I am far from supporting its inclusion in a main series' game) but not really the rest of it. The basic nature of GO's gameplay works for when you're out and about, but it doesn't hold up for a more serious game- and it had better be a serious game if you're forking out $60 for it.

Another thing is that I can't see there being much integration between Pokemon LGPE and Pokemon GO, because that would require maintenance from two separate companies on different continents in order to keep things running smoothly between them. When that's the situation, you're going to want minimal interaction between the games at most to make things easier on your resources.

 

[BlindCaptainDrip]

I don't like Go either but there is no reason to think it will take up the traditional pokemon gameplay

I would be thrilled if that were how it plays out. I just doubt it, seriously. Like joker referenced, the branding is too clear. Go! and Let's Go! both with exclamations...

 

[Knightwolf09]

What they mean by integration anyway? Only thing I can see them doing is being able to transfer pokemon from GO to LG

 

[Spinjira]

I would be thrilled if that were how it plays out. I just doubt it, seriously. Like joker referenced, the branding is too clear. Go! and Let's Go! both with exclamations...

Where does Pokemon Go us exclamation marks in its logo? I feel like you're reaching.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

Most of the people concerned about Go elements are basing it on the original 4Chan leak, which promised elements from Go and Go integration. Whether or not you want to believe that post is up to you, but the worry isn't just from a single word in the title.

 

[SodiumChloride]

It would only make sense if there was trouble creating the new Pokémon models

GF doesn't even make the models
Creatures does

 

[Synthaphone]

I still play Pokemon GO whenever I'm out walking somewhere- its a nice thing to casually invest time in while on the go, which I think is mostly the point. And I was very surprised to encounter several people who still play it last community day- I happened to be out with friends and there was a group of people out at the park who were there specifically to play the game.

I feel like we don't have too much to worry about with regards to Pokemon GO- it doesn't seem reasonable to me for Gamefreak to remake the entire main series over in GO's image. Most people at this point have a smartphone, and Pokemon GO is a free program- it would be ridiculous to expect even MOST of Pokemon GO's audience (that doesn't overlap with the people who play main series games, that is) to purchase an entire expensive console expressly for video games in order to play a game that is extremely similar to the one they already invested time into while out and about.

Things I DO see Pokemon taking away from GO- the fact that it was such a large phenomenon created both buzz, which is good for profit and marketing, and community- people who actually go to meet ups at physical places and interact with each other. It was really cool to meet those people at the park- there was a nice older lady there playing Pokemon GO who we had a brief friendly conversation with, I was surprised and happy to see that there were lots of different people still out there getting so much out of the game.

Pokemon has always had a large emphasis on communication, and initially started out with communication that had to take place in physical space- I think that's something they'd want to capture somehow with the Switch games, especially considering that one of the main highlights of the Switch is that you can take it on the go. Due to how much less ubiquitous the Switch is than smartphones, I don't think it would have anywhere near the numbers of real people going out and meeting people that GO has, but designing the next main series games to be more of a catalyst for that kind of interaction would possibly be an appealing prospect.

To me, stuff like changing the way that Pokeball throwing works seems more like a 'huh, this is more immersive that pressing a button, do we think this adds more to the experience' type of question than a 'if we make it the same as Pokemon GO, than will most of the various types of people who play the free-to-play smartphone game buy our $60 game, $300 console, and possibly our ~$20 internet gameplay service" question.