A Brief History of Pokémon Being Left Out of Games

Debate rages surrounding the controversy surrounding the National Pokédex in Pokémon Sword and Shield. The drama: Game Freak has announced that not all 800+ Pokémon will be appearing in the new games.

There's been a lot of hot takes and opinions shared on this subject over the past few weeks, but we wanted to add to the debate by recapping a few times in the past that Game Freak has similarly restricted the Pokémon that are available in their games.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully it should be enough to prove one thing: that Game Freak does this sort of thing all the time. Sword and Shield is not the first case: Pokémon get ignored or overlooked basically every generation.

Regardless of the online furor, Pokémon Sword and Shield will very likely be the most popular games in the series in recent history. The Nintendo Switch has a powerful, devoted intall base, and the new Switch Lite will soon make the game even more accessible.

Make no mistake: the Switch Lite exists solely to allow people to play Pokémon Sword and Shield. That's why it's coming out in the moment it is being released, and not sooner (or, for that matter, later) in the lifespan of the Switch.

Pokémon fans who aren't also Nintendo fans don't need TV docking. They don't need detatchable JoyCons, and they certainly don't need HD rumble. The Switch Lite will be a cheaper way for these gamers to get their hands on Pokémon, the only game they care about.

But why would someone want to get the Switch Lite and not just spend an extra $100 for the full experience? Because the target audience is parents. Mums and dads know their kids want Pokémon Sword and Shield for Christmas, but they don't want to have to pay $300 for a Switch. So, they go for the cheaper option.

That's the whole point the Switch Lite exists. The 2DS was exactly the same before it.

Yeah, that might have been a bit of a tangent, but never mind. Hope you guys are looking forward to Sword and Shield regardless of whether or not your favourite Pokémon will appear in the games!

Lots of love,
BretonStripes ( and Kotor {

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