Pokémon Sword and Shield

Did You Know?

• The games' DLC expansion pass consisted of Part 1—The Isle of Armor (June 2020) and Part 2—The Crown Tundra (October 2020).
• The controversy over excluding many pre-existing Pokémon from the games was called 'Dexit' by fans, a nod to Brexit.
• The Galar region features landmarks resembling Bath, Somerset, and York, with Industrial Revolution and steampunk references.

Development

Conceptualization of Pokémon Sword and Shield began after the completion of Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016. Shigeru Ohmori, director of Sun and Moon, formed a brainstorming team. Kazumasa Iwao, director of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, later joined as planning director. An early idea was making Pokémon gigantic to capitalize on the Switch's high resolution and TV connectivity; Ohmori suggested a sword and shield Pokémon to defeat such giants, forming the games' titles.

The theme of strength and striving to be the greatest was expressed through the Switch's power, the Dynamax mechanic, and references to British folklore. Full production began in September 2017, involving about 1,000 people from multiple companies, with around 200 Game Freak employees and 100 from Creatures Inc. working on 3D modeling. Game Freak used a small planning team to systematically design the game, replacing their previous iterative method due to the complexity of 3D graphics.

The developers redesigned random encounters to have Pokémon roam freely, and after internal debate, included free camera control to enhance exploration.

Release and marketing

Sword and Shield were first teased during Nintendo's E3 2017 presentation, when The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara mentioned a new core series game for the Switch but said it would not be released for over a year. In May 2018, Game Freak announced the games would launch on Switch in the second half of 2019. The games were fully unveiled in a Nintendo Direct on 27 February 2019, Pokémon Day, introducing the region and starter Pokémon.

A second Direct on 5 June 2019 revealed new features, characters, and Pokémon, and set the release date for 15 November 2019. Game Freak limited the number of new Pokémon revealed in promotions to encourage in-game discovery. A glitched graphic on the official website in September led to the reveal of Sirfetch'd. A 24-hour livestream in October set in Glimwood Tangle revealed a regional variant of Ponyta. A promotional crossover with Tetris 99 from 8–11 November offered a limited-time theme.

A web app let viewers explore the Wild Area online. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Pokémon-themed tournament ran from 15–18 November, and an event from 22–27 November made some Pokémon available as collectible spirits.

Reception

Pokémon Sword and Shield received generally favourable reviews on Metacritic, based on 87 critic reviews for Sword and 89 for Shield. OpenCritic reported 65% of critics recommended the games. Critics praised the gameplay, exploration, and mechanics. Game Informer's Brian Shea commended the battle mechanics and sense of exploration.

IGN's Casey DeFreitas highlighted engaging gameplay and compelling battles. GameSpot's Kallie Plagge praised dynamic exploration and streamlined gameplay. Inverse's Just Lunning noted that despite cuts to the number of Pokémon, quality-of-life improvements made the games more accessible. The Escapist's Lowell Bell enjoyed the gameplay but felt the games lacked difficulty and criticized the story, calling Chairman Rose's plot illogical.

Nintendo Life's Alex Olney liked new Pokémon, quality-of-life improvements, and the Wild Area, but found the visuals underwhelming and felt the game did not fully use the Switch's hardware. VG247's Alex Donaldson found the game charming and successful in encapsulating the series, but criticized incomplete or mediocre aspects that prevented it from reaching its full potential.