Pokemon SwordandPokemonShieldhave been something of an interesting journey forPokemonas a franchise. It’s always exciting whenPokemonstarts a new generation, because that means a new region, more Pokemon, new characters good and evil, and often new mechanics that mix up thePokemonbattle formula.
However,Pokemon SwordandPokemon Shieldgot off to a rocky start. They famously didn’t include the complete Pokedex, and omitted hundreds of Pokemon. Even now, there’s still a long list of Pokemon that can’t be obtained inSwordandShieldin any way. Fans expressed their disappointment in droves when the game was young, and the controversy remains a topic of conversation.
Nintendo has since addressed that for the most part. Two DLCs forSwordandShieldadded many of the missing Pokemon to the games and offered plenty of engaging content on their own. Since these two DLCs were such successes, and served as a good vehicle for reintroducing Pokemon, fans wonder if a third DLC will show up and complete the Pokedex. It’s been months since Nintendo releasedThe Crown Tundra,however, and there’s no sign of a DLC. It’s looking increasingly likely that,if a thirdSwordandShieldDLCwas ever planned, it’s been cancelled. That kind of cancellation comes with some big repercussions.
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A Plausible Cancellation
One of the biggest pieces of evidence that a thirdSwordandShieldDLC was planned but cancelled is a leak that cropped up early last year. In February 2020, a 4chan user claimed to know a great deal about Nintendo’sPokemonplans for the next few years. The post provides no evidence of its own, so at the time it was pretty dubious, but in retrospect it seems shockingly accurate. The postmentions theSwordandShieldDLCsthat released last year, then successfully predicts thePokemon DiamondandPearlremakes coming in late 2021. The leaker also notes that somethingPokemonrelated called “Project Kingpin” will release in 2022. It now seems likely that the leaker was referring to 2022’sPokemon Legends: Arceus.
While all these line up pretty nicely, there’s one thing that doesn’t fit in: the leaker said a thirdSwordandShieldDLC would release in 2021. If that’s the case, why hasn’t Nintendo announced it yet? It madeThe Crown Tundrapublic knowledge a full nine months before it released. In contrast, there’s only about eight months of 2021 left, and there’s no sign of a third DLC. Nintendo even had the perfect opportunity to announce a third DLC at the showcase forPokemon’s 25th anniversary earlier this year, but nothing came up. It’s possible that Nintendo is reserving the DLC for E3, but that would be an awfully long time to wait to announce a DLC. Launching a thirdSwordandShieldDLC nearly a full year after the second one doesn’t seem likely.
The concern for fans, then, is that Nintendo has decided to cancel the third DLC. It’s hard to imagine why it would suddenly abandon a third and final addition toSwordandShield.Both previous DLCs have been critical and financial successes, and Nintendo certainly knows that fans would be very happy to see the Pokedex filled out. Still, in the grand scheme of things, it’s possible that Nintendo decided that it’s best not to linger onSwordandShieldfor too long. Cancelling the third DLC might mean that Nintendo isgearing up forPokemon’s Generation 9.
Why a Cancellation Could Be Bad
The complete Pokedex is certainly one of the biggest things that can be said in favor of a third DLC. So much ofPokemonis about exploring the region and catching ‘em all. Lots of players move heaven and earth totry to complete the Pokedex, or at least to catch their favorite Pokemon. If Nintendo walks away fromSwordandShieldnow, it’ll always be remembered as the Pokemon game with an incomplete Pokedex. That’ll leave a bad taste in the mouths of many fans, and it’ll also set a precedent that Nintendo is okay with excluding Pokemon, which could cause more trouble for the franchise in the future.
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Nintendo is also really missing out on a huge market of hopeful fans if it’s decided to scrap the last DLC. Even if it was as simple as a patch adding all the excluded Pokemon to the game, alongside a small storyline that players could follow to learn why all thesenew Pokemon have appeared, a lot of fans would’ve been glad to seeSwordandShield’s Pokedex come full circle. Even ifPokemonhas been in a weird place because of the controversy aroundSwordandShield, Nintendo needs to show confidence in its work and keep mending its relationships with fans. That would’ve meant committing to the final DLC, even if it was smaller and cheaper than the others.
Why a Cancellation Could Be Good
There’s still potential positives to the cancellation of a thirdSwordandShieldDLC. Even thoughIsle of ArmorandThe Crown Tundrawere hits, it’s possible that Nintendo isn’t satisfied with its work. It may be looking back on the reception of these games and concluding that it would be better off not putting all of its chips onSwordandShield.Scrapping the last DLC would suggest a greater emphasis on making otherPokemonprojects live up to expectations. Although a third DLC would have done a lot forSwordandShield,Pokemon Legends: Arceusand other new projects might do more forPokemonas a whole.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusisn’t the only new gamethat could be coming out of dropping the last DLC. Nintendo might have realized that, the longer it supports the currentPokemongames with DLC, the longer it is before a new generation can come around. Nintendo might be itching to move on and plan a bold new generation ofPokemongames for the speculated Nintendo Switch Pro.Pokemonmight have an easier time getting its footing back as a franchise in a new generation, rather than through Nintendo trying to patch up the current region.
Looking to the Future
All in all, there’s plenty of tradeoffs both positive and negative if Nintendo has decided to cancel the last DLC. Although there’s plenty that of fans who would be happy to linger in the Galar region a little longer, there’s a lot that thePokemonfranchise can gain by closing that chapter and moving on to a new region. For now, it seems likeE3 will probably beSwordandShield’s last chanceat a third expansion. If Nintendo doesn’t have anything to say about another DLC at E3, then fans will probably have to accept thatSwordandShieldhave come and gone.
Pokemon SwordandPokemon Shieldare available now on Nintendo Switch.
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