There's still several months before the general Pokemon Sword and Shield release window arrives, but Nintendo is already going full-steam ahead with its promotional materials. The company partnered with popular Japanese clothing retailer UNIQLO for its annual t-shirt design contest, with the winning Pokemon-based design set to feature as a wearable shirt in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

This Monday, UNIQLO announced that Li Wen Pei won the Grand Prize for the Totem Gyrados and Magikarp submission shown above - but just two days later, UNIQLO released another statement informing consumers that Li Wen Pei had been disqualified. So, what happened?

As per the contest rules, submitted designs needed to be made specifically for this contest. After Li Wen Pei's design made waves, it was discovered that the designer had previously sold his Totem design on phone cases prior to UNIQLO's call for submissions. Since that directly violated the terms set by UNIQLO, the company was left with no choice but to disqualify the designer. UNIQLO also confirmed that there would be no Grand Prize winner in his stead: the second-placed winner won't be bumped up, so no fan-made t-shirt designs will be added to Pokemon Sword and Shield.

The contest had inadvertently confirmed Pokemon trainer customization for the upcoming Switch title, indicating that players will be able to pick and choose what shirts their protagonist will wear. It's not known how many clothing items will be available, or if a microtransaction system will come in to play. Beyond the digital realm, Li Wen's Totem design was also going to be sold by UNIQLO itself, but it looks like that collaboration has been nixed as well.

More news regarding clothing options in Pokemon Sword and Shield is expected to be revealed at E3 2019. Nintendo has stuck to its planned release window of late 2019, so fans should expect to hear a firm confirmation regarding the Pokemon Sword and Shield release date next month. While it's a shame that Li Wen Pei's nice-looking design won't be part of the game, rules are rules - though one really has to feel bad for the second-placed designer who didn't get bumped up in Li Wen's stead.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are both currently in development exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Source: UNIQLO