Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield have been something of an interesting journey for Pokemon as a franchise. It's always exciting when Pokemon starts a new generation, because that means a new region, more Pokemon, new characters good and evil, and often new mechanics that mix up the Pokemon battle formula.
However, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield got off to a rocky start. They famously didn't include the complete Pokedex, and omitted hundreds of Pokemon. Even now, there's still a long list of Pokemon that can't be obtained in Sword and Shield in any way. Fans expressed their disappointment in droves when the game was young, and the controversy remains a topic of conversation.
Nintendo has since addressed that for the most part. Two DLCs for Sword and Shield added many of the missing Pokemon to the games and offered plenty of engaging content on their own. Since these two DLCs were such successes, and served as a good vehicle for reintroducing Pokemon, fans wonder if a third DLC will show up and complete the Pokedex. It's been months since Nintendo released The Crown Tundra, however, and there's no sign of a DLC. It's looking increasingly likely that, if a third Sword and Shield DLC was ever planned, it's been cancelled. That kind of cancellation comes with some big repercussions.
A Plausible Cancellation
One of the biggest pieces of evidence that a third Sword and Shield DLC was planned but cancelled is a leak that cropped up early last year. In February 2020, a 4chan user claimed to know a great deal about Nintendo's Pokemon plans for the next few years. The post provides no evidence of its own, so at the time it was pretty dubious, but in retrospect it seems shockingly accurate. The post mentions the Sword and Shield DLCs that released last year, then successfully predicts the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes coming in late 2021. The leaker also notes that something Pokemon related called "Project Kingpin" will release in 2022. It now seems likely that the leaker was referring to 2022's Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
While all these line up pretty nicely, there's one thing that doesn't fit in: the leaker said a third Sword and Shield DLC would release in 2021. If that's the case, why hasn't Nintendo announced it yet? It made The Crown Tundra public knowledge a full nine months before it released. In contrast, there's only about eight months of 2021 left, and there's no sign of a third DLC. Nintendo even had the perfect opportunity to announce a third DLC at the showcase for Pokemon's 25th anniversary earlier this year, but nothing came up. It's possible that Nintendo is reserving the DLC for E3, but that would be an awfully long time to wait to announce a DLC. Launching a third Sword and Shield DLC nearly a full year after the second one doesn't seem likely.
The concern for fans, then, is that Nintendo has decided to cancel the third DLC. It's hard to imagine why it would suddenly abandon a third and final addition to Sword and Shield. Both previous DLCs have been critical and financial successes, and Nintendo certainly knows that fans would be very happy to see the Pokedex filled out. Still, in the grand scheme of things, it's possible that Nintendo decided that it's best not to linger on Sword and Shield for too long. Cancelling the third DLC might mean that Nintendo is gearing up for Pokemon's Generation 9.
Why a Cancellation Could Be Bad
The complete Pokedex is certainly one of the biggest things that can be said in favor of a third DLC. So much of Pokemon is about exploring the region and catching 'em all. Lots of players move heaven and earth to try to complete the Pokedex, or at least to catch their favorite Pokemon. If Nintendo walks away from Sword and Shield now, it'll always be remembered as the Pokemon game with an incomplete Pokedex. That'll leave a bad taste in the mouths of many fans, and it'll also set a precedent that Nintendo is okay with excluding Pokemon, which could cause more trouble for the franchise in the future.
Nintendo is also really missing out on a huge market of hopeful fans if it's decided to scrap the last DLC. Even if it was as simple as a patch adding all the excluded Pokemon to the game, alongside a small storyline that players could follow to learn why all these new Pokemon have appeared, a lot of fans would've been glad to see Sword and Shield's Pokedex come full circle. Even if Pokemon has been in a weird place because of the controversy around Sword and Shield, Nintendo needs to show confidence in its work and keep mending its relationships with fans. That would've meant committing to the final DLC, even if it was smaller and cheaper than the others.
Why a Cancellation Could Be Good
There's still potential positives to the cancellation of a third Sword and Shield DLC. Even though Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra were hits, it's possible that Nintendo isn't satisfied with its work. It may be looking back on the reception of these games and concluding that it would be better off not putting all of its chips on Sword and Shield. Scrapping the last DLC would suggest a greater emphasis on making other Pokemon projects live up to expectations. Although a third DLC would have done a lot for Sword and Shield, Pokemon Legends: Arceus and other new projects might do more for Pokemon as a whole.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus isn't the only new game that could be coming out of dropping the last DLC. Nintendo might have realized that, the longer it supports the current Pokemon games with DLC, the longer it is before a new generation can come around. Nintendo might be itching to move on and plan a bold new generation of Pokemon games for the speculated Nintendo Switch Pro. Pokemon might have an easier time getting its footing back as a franchise in a new generation, rather than through Nintendo trying to patch up the current region.
Looking to the Future
All in all, there's plenty of tradeoffs both positive and negative if Nintendo has decided to cancel the last DLC. Although there's plenty that of fans who would be happy to linger in the Galar region a little longer, there's a lot that the Pokemon franchise can gain by closing that chapter and moving on to a new region. For now, it seems like E3 will probably be Sword and Shield's last chance at a third expansion. If Nintendo doesn't have anything to say about another DLC at E3, then fans will probably have to accept that Sword and Shield have come and gone.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now on Nintendo Switch.