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The Pokémon Company issues statement on Sword and Shield transfer controversy

Straight from the horse's mouth

During Nintendo’s E3 Treehouse stream, it was revealed that Pokémon not featured in Pokémon Sword and Shield’s regional Pokédex will not be able to be transferred from Pokémon Home to the upcoming games. After weeks of public outcry, The Pokémon Company has issued a new statement on the matter.

In a blog post on the Pokémon website, Junichi Masuda, producer of Pokémon Sword and Shield and long-time Game Freak veteran, had the following to say:

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 Swordand 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.
Junichi Masuda

Pokémon Sword and Shield are currently scheduled to launch worldwide on the 15th of November 2019. Pokémon Home is scheduled to launch in early 2020.

Oliver Brandt

Deputy Editor, sometimes-reviewer, and Oxford comma advocate. If something's published on Vooks, there's a good chance I looked over it first. I spend way too much on games and use way too many em dashes.