Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda, longtime Pokémon series game designer and producer, responded today to fan blowback over Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, and the developer’s decision to limit the amount of Pokémon that can be transferred to the game. Masuda’s statement, however, doesn’t amount to much, and only appears to acknowledge fans’ discontent about Pokémon Sword and Shield’s limited Pokédex.
In a statement, Masuda tells fans he’s “read all your comments and appreciate your love and passion for Pokémon,” and reaffirmed that the decision to limit Pokémon Sword and Shield’ to the Galar region Pokedex was “very difficult.”
“I’d like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games,” Masuda said.
That reassurance will be cold comfort to longtime Pokémon players who were hoping to see all 800-plus Pokémon in the upcoming Nintendo Switch game. While developer Game Freak has said that bringing all Pokémon to the a new platform and balancing them for Sword and Shield would be difficult, that hasn’t prevented fans, who nicknamed the controversy “Dexit,” from bashing the studio as “lazy” and “greedy,” presuming that Game Freak will re-add the missing Pokémon in a future re-release of the eighth-gen Pokémon game.
Here’s Masuda’s statement in full:
Thank you to all of our fans for caring so deeply about Pokémon. Recently, I shared the news that some Pokémon cannot be transferred to Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. I’ve read all your comments and appreciate your love and passion for Pokémon.
Just like all of you, we are passionate about Pokémon and each and every one of them is very important to us. After so many years of developing the Pokémon video games, this was a very difficult decision for me. I’d like to make one thing clear: even if a specific Pokémon is not available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, that does not mean it will not appear in future games.
The world of Pokémon continues to evolve. The Galar region offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. We are pouring our hearts into these games, and we hope you will look forward to joining us on this new journey.
