The upcoming Switch versions of Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 might end up supporting Pokemon transfers after all, as noted by one eagle-eyed fan. Nintendo's initial confirmation of the Switch Online versions of Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 came with a disclaimer that transferring pocket monsters to either game will not be possible under any circumstances.
The original two Pokemon Stadium titles were announced as part of the 2023 Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack membership tier in September 2022. Subscribers will be able to play both N64 classics later this year, together with the likes of Mario Party 3, 1080 Snowboarding, and Excitebike 64. The first high-profile addition to the platform's N64 library arrived in the form of a GoldenEye 007 remaster back in January.
And while GoldeEye 007 surprised Switch owners with exclusive online multiplayer functionality, the upcoming rereleases of Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 were announced with fewer features than the originals. However, the latest Switch Online video overview posted by Nintendo Japan on February 9 lacks the aforementioned no-transfer disclaimer, with one highly perceptive fan recently going online to share that discovery. The company's Japanese branch never uploaded the original announcement of the Pokemon Stadium games for Switch Online, leaving the September 2022 video posted by its U.S. subsidiary as the next closest frame of reference.
Though the disclaimer difference between the two promos is hardly confirmation that the Switch ports will allow importing Pokemon from the mainline installments, it's enough to make long-time fans hopeful. What remains unclear is whether the hypothetical return of this feature implies that some classic Pokemon games will finally be arriving to Switch Online, or perhaps it's a signal of brand-new Pokemon Home integrations on the horizon.
Namely, uploading pocket monsters from Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver, and Crystal via the Transfer Pak Nintendo 64 peripheral was a staple functionality of the original two Pokemon Stadium games. The feature primarily catered to hardcore players who were dedicated enough to breed species with perfect Individual Values (IVs) in the mainline games before transferring them to Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 in order to maximize their competitive edge.
The incoming arrival of Pokemon Stadium games to Nintendo's subscription service, with transfer support or no, is arguably not the platform's biggest expansion that fans of the iconic pocket monsters are hoping to see in 2023. Consumers have long been calling for the inclusion of Game Boy Advance Pokemon games, and given how Nintendo finally started adding some GBA classics to Switch Online in early February, the hope that this trend will eventually reach the likes of Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald is at an all-time high nowadays.
Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 are coming to Nintendo Switch in 2023.
Source: Famiboards, Nintendo of America/YouTube
