A number of Pokemon fans are not happy after an alleged Pokemon Sword & Shield leak revealed that over half of all Pokemon are not included in the game.
The Pokemon Sword & Shield leak was collected on ResetEra, where it revealed the full Galar region Pokedex that reportedly includes 400 Pokemon excluding Mythic Pokemon and the 81 new species found in Galar including the 13 Galarian forms of older Pokemon.
You can see all the new Galar Pokemon and their evolutions below.
Despite having 400 Pokemon in its Pokedex, CCN reports “there are 478 cut Pokemon if you count all of the evolved forms.” And there are a number of fan-favorite Pokemon that did not make the cut including Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Houndour.
Related: Pokemon Reveals New Gigantamax Versions of Pikachu, Eevee, Charizard, and More!
You can see the alleged list of Pokemon who didn’t make the cut below. Those in white boxes will reportedly not be in the game, while those with green boxes will be included.
Fans were not happy with over half of the full Pokedex not included in the game.
when u checking out the galar pokedex leak but it ends at 400 pokemon pic.twitter.com/AlpMJaQMEW
— ⛰granders⛰ (@Androssety) November 5, 2019
wanna see something sad
the charmander line seems to be the only non galar starter in the pokedex
gamefreak literally said “fuck bulbasaur and squirtle” pic.twitter.com/Kyz48TJvVm
— Bota 🐨🦅 #JusticeForJigglypuff (@HimboBird) November 4, 2019
So, 400 confirmed Pokemon in the Galar Pokedex. Gen 7 had 809 Pokemon. This isn’t even half of the Pokemon returning.
They couldn’t even try. And it’s even worse that we had to find out by ourselves. Is this the GF people’s still supporting?#BringBackNationalDex— Fulgencio (@ultimategleam) November 4, 2019
“Galar is also home to familiar Pokémon”
You should be ashamed to write that sentence. Now, everyone knows there are only 400 Pokémon in Galar Pokédex, that is, around 300-320 Pokémon from previous generations out of 809#BringBackNationalDex— Kevin Zamora Arias (@KZamora_CR) November 6, 2019
I’m glad we got Autosave but,
The Kalos Pokédex beat the Galar Pokédex, 457 to 402.I was hoping it would be 500 Pokémon in the Galar Pokédex,
But it didn’t happen.So I guess a Regional Pokédex that’ll have over 500 Pokémon will never exist,
And the Kalos Pokédex always wins.— Zachary Kyle Gordon (@zacharygordon93) November 6, 2019
#BringBackTheNationalDex #BringBackNationalDex
— Ultrinik #ChileViolatesHumanRights (@UltrinikXD) November 7, 2019
Even popular YouTuber YongYea expressed shock about the small Pokedex size for Pokemon Sword & Shield.
YongYea states, “I did not anticipate the cuts would be this extensive. For me, my level of investment in Pokemon it’s not a huge deal if a few Pokemon get cut, but I just didn’t expect that over half of them would not appear in this game. And yea, I don’t know how to feel about that.”
He adds, “This is just a lot worse than many people expected.” He continues, “I’m casual enough of a fan that as long as there is still a decent variety of Pokemon, there is like still 400ish of them maybe, almost 400 to look forward to in this game. That’s still a sizable amount. So, I don’t get a sense that this will ruin the game per say.”
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In an interview with Polygon, Pokemon Sword & Shield producer Junichi Masuda spoke about the smaller Pokedex in the game noting they wanted to prioritize gameplay ideas.
“I mean, in any design situation, resources and time are always a constraint on what you can do in a project. But at the same time from a creative perspective, it’s part of a discussion we’ve had at Game Freak with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, and we came to the decision that, at some point, we need to be able to prioritize new gameplay ideas. We need to be able to find a way to balance the right number of Pokémon and also still introduce new ways for players to enjoy the game, new gameplay ideas to keep the series fresh and enjoyable far into the future.”
Pokemon Sword & Shield will have Gigantamax Pokemon, a Galar Beginnings competition, brand-new items, new techniques for training Pokemon, easy access to Pokemon boxes, pass down moves through breeding,
🚨 Galar Research Update 🚨
👀 Encounter Gigantamax Pokémon
💥 Compete in the Galar Beginnings competition
🆕 Brand-new items and handy features!⚔️🛡️ It’s almost time for your #PokemonSwordShield adventure to begin! https://t.co/5AmTM8gTwz pic.twitter.com/GwrbMn7OEF
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) November 6, 2019
You will also be able to set-up an in-game camp where you “can cook curry, play with your Pokemon, and rest up for the journey ahead.”
Tired after a long day of traveling around the Galar region? Use Pokémon Camp to set up camp and take a break! You can cook curry, play with your Pokémon, and rest up for the journey ahead. ⛺️🍛😴#PokemonSwordShield pic.twitter.com/rfJxsWYLtx
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) November 7, 2019
Pokemon Sword & Shield releases on Nintendo Switch on November 15, 2019.