Certain online features available inPokemon SwordandShieldwill be removed from the games come November 1, including Wild Area news and the Battle Stadium’s ranked seasons. Being the eighth mainline entries in thePokemonfranchise,SwordandShieldgave fans of the series plenty of new features and concepts when they first launched back in 2019. Players got their first taste of an open-worldPokemonexperience in the Wild Area, for example, which allowed trainers to roam around catching all types of Pokemon in different zones that could be accessed very early on.With it being three years since the release ofPokemon SwordandShield, it seems that Game Freak is fully preparing for the launch of some new mainline titles. The hype train has been building forPokemon ScarletandVioletsince they were announced earlier in the year. Following that announcement, many fans have been eagerly awaiting the fast approaching November release date for the new games. Unfortunately for some, despite the hype aroundScarletandViolet, it appears their release will bring about the end of someSwordandShieldfeatures.RELATED:Pokemon Sword and Shield Players Can Get Shiny Eternatus from GameStopFirst spotted by Serebii.net, new details have emerged on the future ofPokemon SwordandShield’sonline features. On November 1, some of the game’s online functions will receive their final updates. The Wild Area news, for example, will have its final post, but this will add Pokemon that don’t appear regularly to the Wild Area such as Gigantamax Snorlax. Also, theBattle Stadium inPokemon SwordandShieldwill no longer get updates to its ranked seasons.
The results of a player’s Battle Stadium rank won’t feature on thePokemon HOMEapplication either, but for anyone wanting to battle without rank on the line, friendly competitions will still be available. In December, however, even friendly competitions won’t display onPokemon HOME. Y-Comm and other online features will reportedly still be accessible, but it seems a lot of the support forSwordandShieldis dwindling. For those looking to have a competitivePokemonexperience, theBattle Stadium will return inScarletandViolet.
The winding down ofPokemon SwordandShield’sonline features might not be the biggest surprise, but it will still be disappointing to fans who wanted to access the online functionalities of Galar for a little while longer. Some distribution events are still available forPokemon SwordandShield, allowing players to get their hands on someextremely rare Pokemonand those featured in the anime.
