Summary
As the release of The Indigo Disk DLC forPokemon Scarlet and Violetapproaches, many players are starting to speculate on what will be next for the series. The common theory at the moment based on leaks and rumors is that the next mainlinePokemongames will return to the Unova Region in some form, either via aPokemon LegendsUnova gameorPokemon Black and Whiteremakes. However, as the Switch winds down its life as a console and Nintendo’s next system becomes the new target for developers, these Gen 5Pokemonremakes must be released before the new console does, for one major reason.
The past few generations of thePokemonseries have struggled with giving players access to the complete National Dex, with Gen 8’sPokemon Sword and Shieldbeing infamous for the “Dexit” controversy. While these games have attempted to address this issue by making additional mons available through DLC, even afterPokemon Scarlet and Violetplayers get access to The Indigo Disk’s Pokedex, there will still be a handful of critters completely unavailable on the Switch. The majority of these critters belong to Gen 5, and it would be a shame if they were unavailable on an entire console.
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Several Gen 5 Mons Risk Missing Out on the Switch Completely
Speculation as to what the Switch’s successor could entail has started heating up as rumors of Nintendo’s next console being shown to developers have started circulating. WhileNintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa claims these rumorsare not accurate, it’s still likely that fans could see the release of the Switch 2 in the next year, as the Switch itself is almost seven years old. New hardware could be a huge help in addressing some of thePokemonseries' recent criticisms, but waiting to release new entries on this next console could mean leaving certain mons forever missing from the Switch.
Pokemon Missing from the Switch After The Indigo Disk
Aside from Furfrou, the bulk of the mons that would be missing from the Switch after the release of The Indigo Disk DLC would be Gen 5 critters. Most of these critters are early-route encounters fromPokemon Black and White, such as Patrat and the elemental monkeys, who are some of the less popular creatures from that generation. However, it would still be unfortunate for these mons to never be available on the Switch if they aren’t present for aPokemon Black and Whiteremakebefore development shifts to the Switch’s successor.
It would be simple for aPokemon Black and Whiteremake to include Patrat and the elemental monkeys, given that they are in the regional Pokedex for Gen 5. However, Furfrou wasn’t introduced until Gen 6, meaning it wouldn’t make sense for faithful Gen 5 remakes to include this mon. If Game Freak wants to ensure all of these mons are available on the Switch, the next mainlinePokemongame could end up being aPokemon LegendsUnova or even aPokemon Black 3 and White 3to give the developer a bit more flexibility with the Pokedex.
Despite the Switch containing games that span three generations of the franchise, it would be unprecedented to not have the complete National Dex available on the console. Recent games likePokemon Sword and ShieldandPokemon Scarlet and Violetare not the first to lack a complete National Dex given that some past critters were unavailable inPokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, but all mons were eventually obtainable on theGame Boy Advancewith the release ofPokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. Since then, each console with a mainline game has made all mons accessible in some way, so it would be a shame for the Switch to end this trend.
