Future 'Pokemon' Games Won't Have The National PokeDex, Dev Says

While many fans are waiting for the release of “Pokemon Sword and Shield,” not as many fans are happy about the game developers' decision to cut the number of older Pokemon that are included in the new titles. This prompted fans to demand that the “National PokeDex” be brought into the upcoming games.

The game developers, however, stood by their decision to limit the number of older Pokemon that'll make an appearance in the Galar region. Previous reports said that according to leaks, many fan favorites will indeed be absent from the new titles. This, again, is expected to cause many to dislike the new games.

Despite the gaming public's apparent disappointment over the absence of many Pokemons from older titles, it appears that reduced PokeDex sizes will be a trend for the years to come.

In an interview with Dutch-speaking site Inside Gamer (translated via VG247), Game Freak producer Junichi Masuda confirmed that “Pokemon Sword and Shield” are but the first of many titles that will not carry all Pokemon from earlier titles.

“ We currently have no plans to make the Pokemon that are missing from the Galar Pokedex available in-game,” Masuda said. “This is an approach that we want to continue with in future Pokemon games.”

He explained that while players weren't able to encounter every kind of Pokemon in every title, they were able to bring Pokemon from older titles into newer titles “by using Pokemon Bank for example.” This, however, changes with “Pokemon Sword and Shield.”

The Game Freak producer said players will be able to transfer all of their Pokemon into the “Pokemon Home” app, which is still in development at the moment. Players, however, won't be able to transer just about any Pokemon they want to the Galar region.

“ The Pokemon Home app is currently in development, in which players can collect their various Pokemon, and only Pokemon in the Galar Pokedex can be transferred from there to Sword and Shield,” Masuda said.

In an interview with VG247, the Game Freak producer emphasized that “Pokemon Home” will be the place where all Pokemon players can bring all of the Pokemon they caught and trained, even from previous games. This is where they'll be able to play with their favorite Pokemon, albeit in a different way.