This past year has been quite the year for Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, with thePokemonfranchise celebrating its 25th anniversary since the release of the first games in 1996. Alongside the big anniversary, there has been a lot going on forPokemon, with the release of gamesNew Pokemon SnapandPokemon Unite, andPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearllaunchingin just a few days. Today also marks the two-year anniversary ofPokemon SwordandShield’s release, making it a great time to reflect on what Generation 8 games brought to the table and how this is going to affect the future ofPokemongames moving forward.
Pokemon SwordandShieldwere a huge success among Switch users, and despite their controversial launch amidst criticism for not including a wider national Pokedex and not making the games fully open-world, Generation 8 was an incredible addition to the series. While it’s true thatPokemon SwordandShieldlacked many Pokemon on launch, they were quickly added with the release of the games' two DLCs: Isle of Armor andCrown Tundra. As for being fully open-world,Pokemon SwordandShieldmight not have been, but they most likely laid the foundations forPokemon Legends: Arceusto be that sort of game, which in turn is probably going to affect the way futurePokemongames are made.
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How Pokemon Sword and Shield Can Change the Future of the Series
Pokemon SwordandShieldwere the first generation of modern mainlinePokemongames that didn’t come with additional games to expand on the originals, but rather they were expanded upon through DLCs. DLCs are common practice in the industry and seeingPokemongames getting more bite-sized expansions instead of full-on new games that barely change the infrastructure of their predecessors is great, and it bodes well for the future of the series. Now that DLCs are a thing in the history ofPokemon, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company might not feel the need for titles similar toPokemon PlatinumorPokemon Ultra SunandUltra Moonmoving forward.
Pokemon SwordandShieldare currently the main hubs forcompetitive battles in thePokemonscene, and the fact that they got a huge Pokedex by the end of both DLCs was a fantastic improvement that made PvP battles more diverse. This could be the case for Generation 9 moving forward, and the fact that Pokemon Home is a thing now might very well benefit the development of future games in order to provide players with a full national Pokedex, where every Pokemon ever created is available. Entering the competitive scene has also never been easier thanks to the less intensive approach of Generation 8 games.
Furthermore,Pokemon SwordandShieldwere great pillars of character customization, and their legacy is being inherited byPokemon Legends: ArceusandBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlas well. Not only that though, as the scope ofPokemon SwordandShieldwas way bigger than most pastPokemongames when counting DLCs, and that’s mainly due to the combination of the Wild Area and Max Raid Battles. The Wild Area was the first semi-open-world locationPokemonfans ever seen in the games, and Max Raid Battles were a great way to make hunting for strong, rare Pokemon a fun experience that could be completed with friends and strangers alike.
Lastly, one of the most exciting things aboutPokemongames' anniversaries, aside from thinking back to what the series has accomplished, is that a new generation of critters might be coming soon. There have been no talks ofPokemonGeneration 9thus far, but it’s one of those things that everyone knows it’s going to happen—it’s more of a matter of when. Because today marks 2 years since the release of Generation 8, it’s not impossible that the nextPokemongames are just a year away, or maybe coming at some point in 2023.
